Eight Lions on Bubble Who Could Make 2025 Roster

Following the NFL Draft and the following free agency and tryouts, the Detroit Lions currently have 91 players on their roster. With training camp just around the corner, the Lions are looking to pare down their roster to 53 players, with some of the players not making it to stick around on the practice squad.

That leaves the staff with decisions regarding personnel to find the best 53 players to make the Lions roster in time for Week One. These eight players are ones that will factor into that ultimate decision in a few short months.

QB Kyle Allen

Kyle Allen is a seven-year NFL veteran, and he was signed with the Lions in March to provide competition with 2023 3rd round selection Hendon Hooker. Allen is only two years older than Hooker, and has 31 games (with 12 starts) of experience at the NFL level. 

Between the signing of Teddy Bridgewater for the NFL Playoffs last season and the signing of Allen this year, the staff is not completely sold on Hendon Hooker. Allen factors into this conversation based on how Hooker’s preseason goes.

With Hooker being a player the Lions spent high draft capital on, it is more likely that Allen would make the roster as a third quarterback, which makes his performance in camp and the preseason (along with Hooker's) one to track. 

TE Shane Zylstra

Shane Zylstra has been a longtime Lion, spending time on and off the practice squad with Detroit since 2021. Despite the relatively long career with the Lions, he has mostly stayed mired in a reserve role, with 15 catches in his career.

He was added to the active roster for the rest of the season on November 9 in 2024, but faces more competition this year. The Lions signed Kenny Yeboah in free agency, and the addition of Luke Deal and Zach Horton in undrafted free agency makes his path more difficult. Horton provides the skillset of being an h-back option in college, which was a role that Zylstra filled late in 2024. 

WR Jackson Meeks

Jackson Meeks, much like the two names above, is an undrafted free agent. However, he hails from the 2025 class, going undrafted this spring out of Syracuse after limited action with Georgia. He exploded onto the scene with the Orange, posting 78 catches for 1,021 yards, including 21 of his 35 contested targets.

Meeks, much like many of the names in the receiver room, will be battling it out to provide special teams upside and providing a spark in the preseason to convince the Lions to keep him. The position group has an open competition outside of the “big three” of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Tim Patrick. 

With Isaac TeSlaa being a third-round selection, he is a safe “lock” for the roster, as well. The rest, however, is a scrap. He faces stiff competition, including former WR groupmate Dominic Lovett from Georgia, whom the Lions spent a draft pick for. 

Meeks will be playing to his strengths, with reliable hands (only five drops in 115 targets) and his run-blocking ability, which graded out at 75.5 on PFF.

OL Netane Muti

Netane Muti is a former sixth round selection from Fresno State in 2020, and has started four games while appearing in 22 during his tenure at Denver, Las Vegas, and Detroit. He turned heads in the 2020 NFL Combine, with an impressive 44 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.

However, the Tongan has had one issue in his career, and that is staying healthy. He missed most of his final two seasons of college, only appearing in five games. He was signed to a reserve contract with the Lions last year, but was on injured reserve by August 1. 

The Lions have a Frank Ragnow-shaped hole in the interior offensive line, and Muti is a player that can compete for playing time with the Lions. Graham Glasgow received mixed reviews in 2024, Christian Mahogany saw very limited action, and Tate Ratledge, as of this writing, has yet to ink his rookie deal. Muti has more chances to prove his mettle early in camp if Ratledge continues his holdout.