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53-man roster projection 2.0 following Detroit Lions' preseason game in Kansas City
Justin Rogers
Aug 18
Allen Park — Here’s an updated projection on how the Detroit Lions’ 53-man roster could shake out following another week of practice and Saturday’s night preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As a reminder, teams must have their roster cuts filed to the league by Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. Starting this year, teams will also be able to place two players on injured reserve with a designation to return who won’t count against the 53-player tally.
16-man practice squads can be established starting at noon the following day.
Quarterbacks (3)
In: Jared Goff, Nate Sudfeld, Hendon Hooker
Work to do: Jake Fromm
Work to do: Fromm
Changes: Fromm out, I guess
Thoughts: After last night’s game, I toyed with the idea of keeping just two quarterbacks. But this exercise is supposed to reflect what I believe the team will do, and I don’t think they’re quite ready to fully embrace Hooker as Goff’s primary backup.
Yes, Hooker unquestionably has the higher ceiling, and yes, he’s being rapidly developed as the long-term solution, but there’s a comfort level the coaching staff feels with Sudfeld’s experience, both during the week of preparation, and in an emergency where he’d be ask to keep the ship afloat following an injury to the starter.
It might feel like an overreaction to a moment, but I believe Hooker answered some questions with his performance against the Chiefs, building organizational confidence in his abilities to manage a game. But it’s a stretch to suggest he was able to quell all concerns, internally.
If Hooker earns the start in the preseason finale next week and performs at a similarly high level, I’m open to changing my mind. Keeping only two quarterbacks would certainly make some of the other roster decisions below a little easier to navigate.
Running backs (4)
In: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
Work to do: Jermar Jefferson, Zonovan Knight, Jake Funk
Changes: None
Thoughts: There was a brief moment earlier this month when I wondered if it was possible to make room for Jefferson if he could maintain his hot start to camp. That concern has faded after a lackluster preseason debut, followed by a week where the former seventh-round pick was sidelined by injury.
If anything, Knight has kind of forced his way into the conversation, both with his practice and preseason game performances.
Still, it’s difficult to justify a fifth back, particularly one who isn’t a special teams demon. Montgomery and Gibbs are holding down the fort at the top of the depth chart, Reynolds is as reliable as they come, in every facet of his role, and Vaki continues to showcase electric potential as he gains invaluable experience. Four is plenty.
Wide receivers (4)
In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones
Injured reserve: Antoine Green
Work to do: Maurice Alexander, Jalon Calhoun, Kaden Davis, Daurice Fountain, Tom Kennedy, Tre’Quan Smith, Isaiah Williams
Changes: Peoples-Jones in, Green and Fountain out
Thoughts: OK, keeping only four receivers might seem a little crazy at first glance, but with all the debate about who will win Detroit’s fourth and fifth receiving jobs, I considered coach Dan Campbell’s comments from an interview with 97.1 earlier this week.
“Now, that being said, we don't want to keep a guy just because he's receiver three, four, five,” Campbell said. “We want to keep the best players we have on the roster and that could come in the running back room.”
Well, if that’s the case, I’m not going to force a fifth receiver on to the roster, although Williams is making it more and more difficult to leave him off. The thing working against the undrafted rookie is I don’t see a game day fit. He’s a slot receiver blocked by St. Brown and Raymond, and the latter also negates Williams’ value as a punt returner. Yes, that means you might lose a good player to waivers, but those are the tough decisions you have to make when the overall talent of the roster goes up.
As for Peoples-Jones, I’m admittedly not in love with the choice, but he offers more of a proven track record than Fountain and Davis, which is the separator when all three have lacked the ability to pull away from the pack.
Tight ends (3)
In: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, James Mitchell
Work to do: Parker Hesse, Sean McKeon, Shane Zylstra
Changes: Mitchell in, Hesse out
Thoughts: When LaPorta and Wright are healthy, tight end three isn’t going to see the field much. Filling that role last year, Mitchell worked 10 or more offensive snaps just twice the first 12 games.
But after having Mitchell off the roster last week, I’m putting the former fifth-round choice back on the right side of the bubble. He’s not flashy, and he hasn’t broken out in the way I thought he might entering his third season, but he’s a reliable pass-catcher, has extensive special teams experience, and he knows the offense well after two years in Johnson’s system.
That said, for as much as we’ve focused on the receivers the past month, this might be the most wide-open competition on the roster entering the final week of the preseason.
Offensive line (10)
In: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler, Penei Sewell, Dan Skipper, Colby Sorsdal, Kayode Awosika, Kingsley Eguakun, Giovanni Manu
NFI: Christian Mahogany
Injured reserve: Connor Galvin, Netane Muti
Work to do: Jake Burton, Duke Clemens, Bryan Hudson, Jemarco Jones, Michael Niese
Changes: Eguakun in
Work to do: With the extra spot created by keeping just four receivers, I found room to retain an extra o-lineman. Eguakun has performed well throughout his first training camp and offers upside along the interior as a long-term backup for Ragnow, who has battled a number of tough injuries the past couple seasons.
Mahogany is the wild card. He recently rejoined the team, but has yet to practice as he physically reacclimates after an illness kept him out of the building the first three weeks of camp.
Once he gets fully cleared, there will be a debate about whether he should be kept over other options, including Eguakun, strictly based on the scouting report that led to his selection in the draft.
Defensive line (9)
In: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Kyle Peko, Brodric Martin, Mekhi Wingo, Josh Paschal
Injured reserve: John Cominsky, Nate Lynn, David Bada
PUP: DJ Reader
Changes: None
Work to do: Mathieu Betts, Pat O’Connor, Chris Smith, Isaac Ukwu
Thoughts: If Reader manages to avoid starting the regular season on PUP, which is his stated goal, it’s going to complicate things. But I still think there’s a good chance the Lions go this route to ensure he’s fully healed from last year’s torn quad, giving the team flexibility to keep another player for at least the first four weeks of the season.
As for the nine projected to be kept, I don’t anticipate there being much debate. Some seemed surprised by how certain I was about Peko a week ago, but it’s increasingly clear he’s part of the plan, at least until Reader is cleared, and very likely beyond.
If anything, we can talk about the merits of Ukwu and Betts for spots, but I couldn’t find the wiggle room to add a 10th lineman. Assuming Ukwu clears waivers, he would be a top priority for the practice squad, and a player I could see contributing later in the year as an injury replacement. He offers a good frame and outstanding play strength. With some refinement of his pass-rush plan, and the carving out of a special teams role, he could quietly end up being a nice UDFA find.
As for Betts — the reigning defensive MVP from the CFL — he’s finally starting to gain some positive traction after a sluggish offseason. Still, it feels like it’s too little, too late in terms of earning a roster spot. He’s also a prime candidate for the practice squad.
Linebackers (7)
In: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Ben Niemann, Mitchell Agude
Injured reserve: DaRon Gilbert
Work to do: Abraham Beauplan, James Houston, Malik Jefferson, Ty Summers
Changes: Agude in, Houston out
Thoughts: This will certainly be my most controversial opinion, but I’m leaving Houston off the roster. Trust me, I know it’s incredibly difficult to justify, understanding what kind of impact he can have as a pass rusher, but his inability to develop a wider skill set, plus some of his injury issues, have me convinced there’s more value in keeping Agude.
After spending last season on Detroit’s practice squad, I’ve been impressed with Agude’s length, strength and ability to execute his assignments. He’s not nearly as sturdy, but in some ways, he reminds of Romeo Okwara when he first arrived in Detroit as a waiver claim in 2018.
I’ve been impressed with what Agude has demonstrated all offseason, and he rubber-stamped those opinions with a strong performance against Kansas City.
Defensive backs (10)
In: Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw, Khalil Dorsey, Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brian Branch, Brandon Joseph, C.J. Moore
Injured reserve: Emmanuel Moseley, Morice Norris
Work to do: Essang Bassey, Chelen Garnes, Steven Gilmore, Javelin Guidry, Loren Strickland, Kindle Vildor
Changes: Joseph in, Norris out
Thoughts: There are essentially seven roster locks with this group. Two others, Dorsey and Moore, are near-locks because of their special teams contributions and ability to play defense in a pinch.
Heck, with the way he’s been handling business as of late, that’s probably underselling Dorsey’s ability.
To me, the final spot comes down to Joseph and Vildor. There’s a reasonable case to be made for either player, but Joseph has been slightly more consistent the duration of the offseason, while also benefitting from a recent stretch of ball production.
Specialists (3)
In: Jack Fox, Jake Bates, Scott Daly
Injured reserve: Michael Badgley
Work to do: Hogan Hatten
Changes: None
Thoughts: Fox is an obvious lock and Bates remains unchallenged.
Competing only against himself, and the possibility of being replaced with a waiver wire option in a couple weeks, Bates has answered the bell in the preseason, making all five of his field goals tries, including efforts from 53 and 55 yards. The only blemish on the resume is a PAT he sent wide left against the Chiefs.
The long snapper competition is close, maybe even razor thin. Hatten’s athleticism is highly intriguing because of the oomph it adds to punt coverage. But Daly has been consistent while steadily improving the past two years, so it’s easy to justify sticking with the status quo.
Projected practice squad (16)
In: Knight, Davis, Isaiah Williams, Fountain, Zylstra, Hesse, Neise, Hudson, Jermarco Jones, Chris Smith, Betts, Ukwu, Malik Jefferson, Vildor, Gilmore, Strickland
Thoughts: Obviously, this is all contingent on these players clearing waivers. We didn’t put Houston with this group because he’d likely be claimed.
With only four receivers on the 53, it’s easy to justify three on the practice squad. In this projection, Williams displaces Kennedy, the longtime practice squader, because of their overlapping skill sets.
The defensive backs feel obvious with Vildor as a quality insurance option, and Gilmore and Strickland worthy of continued development. The same goes for Ukwu, Smith and Hudson, at their respective positions.
Knight, Hesse, Jones and Jefferson are vets with experience who are good depth pieces and should elevate the weekly preparation through their scout team contributions.
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
X: Justin_Rogers
Justin Rogers
Aug 18
Allen Park — Here’s an updated projection on how the Detroit Lions’ 53-man roster could shake out following another week of practice and Saturday’s night preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As a reminder, teams must have their roster cuts filed to the league by Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. Starting this year, teams will also be able to place two players on injured reserve with a designation to return who won’t count against the 53-player tally.
16-man practice squads can be established starting at noon the following day.
Quarterbacks (3)
In: Jared Goff, Nate Sudfeld, Hendon Hooker
Work to do: Jake Fromm
Work to do: Fromm
Changes: Fromm out, I guess
Thoughts: After last night’s game, I toyed with the idea of keeping just two quarterbacks. But this exercise is supposed to reflect what I believe the team will do, and I don’t think they’re quite ready to fully embrace Hooker as Goff’s primary backup.
Yes, Hooker unquestionably has the higher ceiling, and yes, he’s being rapidly developed as the long-term solution, but there’s a comfort level the coaching staff feels with Sudfeld’s experience, both during the week of preparation, and in an emergency where he’d be ask to keep the ship afloat following an injury to the starter.
It might feel like an overreaction to a moment, but I believe Hooker answered some questions with his performance against the Chiefs, building organizational confidence in his abilities to manage a game. But it’s a stretch to suggest he was able to quell all concerns, internally.
If Hooker earns the start in the preseason finale next week and performs at a similarly high level, I’m open to changing my mind. Keeping only two quarterbacks would certainly make some of the other roster decisions below a little easier to navigate.
Running backs (4)
In: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
Work to do: Jermar Jefferson, Zonovan Knight, Jake Funk
Changes: None
Thoughts: There was a brief moment earlier this month when I wondered if it was possible to make room for Jefferson if he could maintain his hot start to camp. That concern has faded after a lackluster preseason debut, followed by a week where the former seventh-round pick was sidelined by injury.
If anything, Knight has kind of forced his way into the conversation, both with his practice and preseason game performances.
Still, it’s difficult to justify a fifth back, particularly one who isn’t a special teams demon. Montgomery and Gibbs are holding down the fort at the top of the depth chart, Reynolds is as reliable as they come, in every facet of his role, and Vaki continues to showcase electric potential as he gains invaluable experience. Four is plenty.
Wide receivers (4)
In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones
Injured reserve: Antoine Green
Work to do: Maurice Alexander, Jalon Calhoun, Kaden Davis, Daurice Fountain, Tom Kennedy, Tre’Quan Smith, Isaiah Williams
Changes: Peoples-Jones in, Green and Fountain out
Thoughts: OK, keeping only four receivers might seem a little crazy at first glance, but with all the debate about who will win Detroit’s fourth and fifth receiving jobs, I considered coach Dan Campbell’s comments from an interview with 97.1 earlier this week.
“Now, that being said, we don't want to keep a guy just because he's receiver three, four, five,” Campbell said. “We want to keep the best players we have on the roster and that could come in the running back room.”
Well, if that’s the case, I’m not going to force a fifth receiver on to the roster, although Williams is making it more and more difficult to leave him off. The thing working against the undrafted rookie is I don’t see a game day fit. He’s a slot receiver blocked by St. Brown and Raymond, and the latter also negates Williams’ value as a punt returner. Yes, that means you might lose a good player to waivers, but those are the tough decisions you have to make when the overall talent of the roster goes up.
As for Peoples-Jones, I’m admittedly not in love with the choice, but he offers more of a proven track record than Fountain and Davis, which is the separator when all three have lacked the ability to pull away from the pack.
Tight ends (3)
In: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, James Mitchell
Work to do: Parker Hesse, Sean McKeon, Shane Zylstra
Changes: Mitchell in, Hesse out
Thoughts: When LaPorta and Wright are healthy, tight end three isn’t going to see the field much. Filling that role last year, Mitchell worked 10 or more offensive snaps just twice the first 12 games.
But after having Mitchell off the roster last week, I’m putting the former fifth-round choice back on the right side of the bubble. He’s not flashy, and he hasn’t broken out in the way I thought he might entering his third season, but he’s a reliable pass-catcher, has extensive special teams experience, and he knows the offense well after two years in Johnson’s system.
That said, for as much as we’ve focused on the receivers the past month, this might be the most wide-open competition on the roster entering the final week of the preseason.
Offensive line (10)
In: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler, Penei Sewell, Dan Skipper, Colby Sorsdal, Kayode Awosika, Kingsley Eguakun, Giovanni Manu
NFI: Christian Mahogany
Injured reserve: Connor Galvin, Netane Muti
Work to do: Jake Burton, Duke Clemens, Bryan Hudson, Jemarco Jones, Michael Niese
Changes: Eguakun in
Work to do: With the extra spot created by keeping just four receivers, I found room to retain an extra o-lineman. Eguakun has performed well throughout his first training camp and offers upside along the interior as a long-term backup for Ragnow, who has battled a number of tough injuries the past couple seasons.
Mahogany is the wild card. He recently rejoined the team, but has yet to practice as he physically reacclimates after an illness kept him out of the building the first three weeks of camp.
Once he gets fully cleared, there will be a debate about whether he should be kept over other options, including Eguakun, strictly based on the scouting report that led to his selection in the draft.
Defensive line (9)
In: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Kyle Peko, Brodric Martin, Mekhi Wingo, Josh Paschal
Injured reserve: John Cominsky, Nate Lynn, David Bada
PUP: DJ Reader
Changes: None
Work to do: Mathieu Betts, Pat O’Connor, Chris Smith, Isaac Ukwu
Thoughts: If Reader manages to avoid starting the regular season on PUP, which is his stated goal, it’s going to complicate things. But I still think there’s a good chance the Lions go this route to ensure he’s fully healed from last year’s torn quad, giving the team flexibility to keep another player for at least the first four weeks of the season.
As for the nine projected to be kept, I don’t anticipate there being much debate. Some seemed surprised by how certain I was about Peko a week ago, but it’s increasingly clear he’s part of the plan, at least until Reader is cleared, and very likely beyond.
If anything, we can talk about the merits of Ukwu and Betts for spots, but I couldn’t find the wiggle room to add a 10th lineman. Assuming Ukwu clears waivers, he would be a top priority for the practice squad, and a player I could see contributing later in the year as an injury replacement. He offers a good frame and outstanding play strength. With some refinement of his pass-rush plan, and the carving out of a special teams role, he could quietly end up being a nice UDFA find.
As for Betts — the reigning defensive MVP from the CFL — he’s finally starting to gain some positive traction after a sluggish offseason. Still, it feels like it’s too little, too late in terms of earning a roster spot. He’s also a prime candidate for the practice squad.
Linebackers (7)
In: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Ben Niemann, Mitchell Agude
Injured reserve: DaRon Gilbert
Work to do: Abraham Beauplan, James Houston, Malik Jefferson, Ty Summers
Changes: Agude in, Houston out
Thoughts: This will certainly be my most controversial opinion, but I’m leaving Houston off the roster. Trust me, I know it’s incredibly difficult to justify, understanding what kind of impact he can have as a pass rusher, but his inability to develop a wider skill set, plus some of his injury issues, have me convinced there’s more value in keeping Agude.
After spending last season on Detroit’s practice squad, I’ve been impressed with Agude’s length, strength and ability to execute his assignments. He’s not nearly as sturdy, but in some ways, he reminds of Romeo Okwara when he first arrived in Detroit as a waiver claim in 2018.
I’ve been impressed with what Agude has demonstrated all offseason, and he rubber-stamped those opinions with a strong performance against Kansas City.
Defensive backs (10)
In: Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw, Khalil Dorsey, Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brian Branch, Brandon Joseph, C.J. Moore
Injured reserve: Emmanuel Moseley, Morice Norris
Work to do: Essang Bassey, Chelen Garnes, Steven Gilmore, Javelin Guidry, Loren Strickland, Kindle Vildor
Changes: Joseph in, Norris out
Thoughts: There are essentially seven roster locks with this group. Two others, Dorsey and Moore, are near-locks because of their special teams contributions and ability to play defense in a pinch.
Heck, with the way he’s been handling business as of late, that’s probably underselling Dorsey’s ability.
To me, the final spot comes down to Joseph and Vildor. There’s a reasonable case to be made for either player, but Joseph has been slightly more consistent the duration of the offseason, while also benefitting from a recent stretch of ball production.
Specialists (3)
In: Jack Fox, Jake Bates, Scott Daly
Injured reserve: Michael Badgley
Work to do: Hogan Hatten
Changes: None
Thoughts: Fox is an obvious lock and Bates remains unchallenged.
Competing only against himself, and the possibility of being replaced with a waiver wire option in a couple weeks, Bates has answered the bell in the preseason, making all five of his field goals tries, including efforts from 53 and 55 yards. The only blemish on the resume is a PAT he sent wide left against the Chiefs.
The long snapper competition is close, maybe even razor thin. Hatten’s athleticism is highly intriguing because of the oomph it adds to punt coverage. But Daly has been consistent while steadily improving the past two years, so it’s easy to justify sticking with the status quo.
Projected practice squad (16)
In: Knight, Davis, Isaiah Williams, Fountain, Zylstra, Hesse, Neise, Hudson, Jermarco Jones, Chris Smith, Betts, Ukwu, Malik Jefferson, Vildor, Gilmore, Strickland
Thoughts: Obviously, this is all contingent on these players clearing waivers. We didn’t put Houston with this group because he’d likely be claimed.
With only four receivers on the 53, it’s easy to justify three on the practice squad. In this projection, Williams displaces Kennedy, the longtime practice squader, because of their overlapping skill sets.
The defensive backs feel obvious with Vildor as a quality insurance option, and Gilmore and Strickland worthy of continued development. The same goes for Ukwu, Smith and Hudson, at their respective positions.
Knight, Hesse, Jones and Jefferson are vets with experience who are good depth pieces and should elevate the weekly preparation through their scout team contributions.
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
X: Justin_Rogers
Oh and sports media has been getting more annoying IMO. It’s more relaxing to figuratively stick my head in the sand and block out the noise.
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