Lions make major sacrifice on defense in 53-man roster prediction

The Detroit Lions got a lot of great work on tape during their loss to the Miami Dolphins this past Saturday. They've got one preseason game left to solidify their 53-man roster, and there are a few positional competitions coming down to the wire.

Pass rush, quarterback, and wide receiver stick out as the three positional battles that will continue into this week's training camp and Detroit's final preseason game against the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon. This is one projection of what the 53-man roster will shape up to look like for the Lions headed into Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.

Projected 53-man roster for Lions

Quarterbacks (2)

Jared Goff
Kyle Allen

While it might not feel ideal to keep Hooker on the roster if he's unable to put together a great week of training camp and a great start against the Texans, the Lions are probably not keen on admitting defeat when it comes to being unable to develop their 3rd round pick from 2023. Hooker has shown flashes of pretty great potential, and he's also still getting paid on a rookie scale contract.

But, roster spots are going to be far too valuable for a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Lions. Hooker gets cut here.

Wide receivers (6)

Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Isaac TeSlaa
Jackson Meeks
Tim Patrick
Kalif Raymond

The Lions keep two out of their three standout rookie wide receivers in the fold in this projection. TeSlaa has simply been the best rookie so far in preseason, and Meeks has flashed his ability to be a solid blocker and red zone option for the Lions with his size and strength. Tim Patrick, who has probably felt some heat on him with TeSlaa and Meeks performing so well, remains on the roster.

Rookie Dominic Lovett gets left off here because of how well it feels like Meeks slides into that role of being a dual special teams-wide receiving threat for Detroit.

Running backs (4)

Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki

The Lions have probably seen enough to say that Vaki is the firm RB4 in this deep room, with Gibbs and Montgomery ready to take the stage again in a big way under new offensive coordinator John Morton. Reynolds has gotten a ton of burn this preseason, so it feels like he's the clear RB3.

It's hard to also discount the moments of explosiveness we've seen from ex-UFL running back Jacob Saylors, but he will probably land with the practice squad.

Tight ends (3)

Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra

LaPorta is back to lead this room alongside Wright and Zylstra, who have both been extremely serviceable backup TEs in the Lions' schemes. This is probably the easiest room for the Lions to square away considering the few tight ends that have participated in this year's preseason - Steven Stilianos and Gunnar Oakes - haven't done quite enough to push out two established weapons.

Offensive line (10)

Penei Sewell
Taylor Decker
Tate Ratledge
Graham Glasgow
Christian Mahogany
Dan Skipper
Giovanni Manu
Netane Muti
Jamarco Jones
Kayode Awosika

After a small battle between Ratledge and Glasgow to figure out who the Lions would want to see start at center this season, Glasgow has become the solid answer to that sudden hole. Ratledge has still been impressing in camp, though, and he easily wins the starting role at right guard for Detroit's O-line.

Skipper and Manu are two other players just battling for consistent reps on the line this season, with both having done an excellent job in preseason of winning those roles.

EDGE (4)

Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Nate Lynn
Al-Quadin Muhammad

Brutally, Ahmed Hassanein was injured in the Lions' preseason match against the Dolphins, and Dan Campbell told reporters that his injury might need some time to bounce back from. That might end up meaning that Hassanein lands on their injury report to start the season, which carves space for Isaac Ukwu to slide into the depth chart.

Ukwu had a great game against Miami, picking up a sack and looking very disruptive in general. He, Lynn, and Muhammad have been contributing some really meaningful reps on the EDGE as Detroit figures out who could be a consistent partner next to Hutchinson in the pass rush. We'll see if he does in fact make the team but for now, these four are locks.

(Also, is that Za'Darius Smith's music we hear?)

Defensive line (5)

DJ Reader
Tyleik Williams
Keith Cooper Jr.
Roy Lopez
Pat O'Connor

Injuries have also decimated the Lions' depth on their defensive line, with Alim McNeil and Levi Onwuzurike out for the season. Reader and Cooper Jr. have looked the part so far in camp, though, so there's not a ton of pessimism around the D-line's ability to add some run stopping to their already potent pass rush.

The rookie Williams also lands as a starter, as he's been getting greater and greater reviews from training camp.

Linebackers (6)

Jack Campbell
Alex Anzalone
Derrick Barnes
Grant Stuard
Zach Cunningham
Anthony Pittman

Campbell has become the "captain" of the defense, according to the Lions' coaching staff, and he leads off this impeccable room that's flanked by Anzalone and Barnes. While the team also waits on a healthy Malcolm Rodriguez, they have a power hitter in Stuard to help back up Anzalone or Campbell in a pinch.

Cunningham slots in as a decent backup to this room, same for Pittman.

READ MORE: It's becoming hard to ignore the writing on the wall for Lions' QB2 competition

Cornerbacks (6)

Terrion Arnold
Amik Robertson
D.J. Reed
Rock Ya-Sin
Erick Hallett
Nick Whiteside

We're carrying six cornerbacks into the season because of just how injured this group seems to be over the last few seasons. Arnold has been dealing with a lingering hamstring issue, and that feels like enough justification for adding some insurance here.

Ya-Sin has been a revelation since Ennis Rakestraw went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, and both Hallett and Whiteside have been impressing in training camp.

We know what we're getting with Robertson and Reed, as well.

Safety (4)

Kerby Joseph
Brian Branch
Ian Kennelly
Avonte Maddox

Joseph and Branch are beyond locks, but Kennelly has worked his way up nicely into the Lions' depth chart. The Michigan native got another start in preseason against Miami, finishing up with two tackles. It sure feels like he's won the backup job over Loren Strickland in the safety room. Maddox is another great depth piece.

Special teams (3)

Jake Bates
Jack Fox
Hogan Hatten

All three bases - punter, place kicker, and long snapper - are covered by these specialists. No changes here.

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