The Detroit Lions released their unofficial depth chart for the upcoming preseason matchup with the Houston Texans. While the chart is unofficial and needs to be treated as such, there could very well be a few clues about how the Lions see some of the roster battles and competitions heading into the final days before the roster cutdowns.
The first comes on the top lines of the depth chart, where the wide receivers are broken out. Veteran Tom Kennedy is on the second-team line with Kalif Raymond and rookie Isaac TeSlaa, behind starters Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tim Patrick. That’s ahead of UDFA Jackson Meeks and newcomer Ronnie Bell, who have each consistently taken reps ahead of Kennedy in recent offensive practices.
The EDGE designations are where things definitely get interesting. Starters Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport are on the first line as they should be. The second-team EDGEs are listed as Mitchell Agude and Josh Paschal, each of which raises an eyebrow.
Agude is battling with Al-Quadin Muhammad, Nate Lynn and Isaac Ukwu (and injured rookie Ahmed Hassanein) for positional supremacy, and Muhammad has appeared to take over the lead based on recent first-team reps and play in joint practices against the Miami Dolphins. That the team considers Agude ahead of the others, even in an unofficial capacity, could be telling on how the battle is playing out in the eyes of the coaching staff.
Paschal remains sidelined as he deals with an injury that has kept him out all summer. This designation would indicate that when Paschal is activated, he’s bouncing right into the rotation. The last update from head coach Dan Campbell on Paschal’s timeline is “September”, which is a long and eventful month. Stay tuned.
Finally, Loren Strickland is noted as the second-team safety behind starter Brian Branch, with UDFA rookie Ian Kennelly on the third-team line behind starter Kerby Joseph and reserve Morice Norris. That meshes with the positions they play, of course; Strickland is a straight box/strong safety, while Kennelly is more coverage-oriented. Having Norris, who remains out with a severe concussion suffered in the preseason win over Atlanta, over Kennelly might not be a good sign for the Grand Valley State rookie in his quest to make the 53-man roster.
Also of note, Kalif Raymond is the only player listed at punt return and also kick return. Detroit deploys two kick returners on every rep and in games, but Raymond earns the only designation here.