Note: An asterisk (*) denotes the player is a rookie<\/p>\n
Jared Goff
Kyle Allen
Hendon Hooker<\/p>\n
Kyle Allen handily won the backup quarterback job, and coach Dan Campbell even admitted as much after the final preseason game. As for keeping Hooker as a potential third, here was Campbell\u2019s answer on the things they are considering when it comes to Hooker\u2019s roster spot:<\/p>\n
How much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes does the player need a change of scenery? What about our own depth in other areas? I mentioned this the other day, relative to that \u2013 all right, maybe there is room to grow. Is that worth it for the depth we need at O-Line, D-Line, receiver, DB?<\/p>\n
If a change in scenery is being brought up, that doesn\u2019t just tell you that QB3 is out of the question, but it may also mean Hooker won\u2019t be back on the practice squad if he clears waivers.<\/p>\n
Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki
Jacob Saylors
Deon Jackson<\/p>\n
No drama here. The only question was whether Vaki\u2019s injury was serious, and Campbell confirmed Saturday that it wasn\u2019t. Saylors has had a nice preseason and has likely earned himself a spot on the practice squad.<\/p>\n
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Tim Patrick
Kalif Raymond
Isaac TeSlaa*
Jackson Meeks*
Dominic Lovett*
Tom Kennedy
Ronnie Bell
Jakobie Keeney-James*
Malik Taylor<\/p>\n
Seven wide receivers is admittedly hard to justify, but there are two things said this offseason that I cannot get out of my mind. The first was Campbell, back during the owners meetings:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would love to bring in more competition, particularly some youth. That would help, and let them all mix it up. Get in there and see where it all falls.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Raymond at 31 years old and in the final year of his career, and Patrick about to turn 32, the Lions seriously invested in youth this offseason with not only third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa, but seventh-round pick Dominic Lovett and high-priority UDFA Jackson Meeks. TeSlaa will get a role early, while Lovett and Meeks are pretty close to one-to-one replacements for Raymond and Patrick in a year or two.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, they can contribute right away, if you need them to. Which brings me to the second quote, via special teams coordinator Dave Fipp:<\/p>\n
\u201cLovett has shown some things for us on the outside, Meeks has shown some things from the wide receiver position. So, we\u2019ve got some wide receivers contributing on special teams, which is beneficial because the last time in four years we haven\u2019t gotten a lot out of that group other than Kalif as a punt returner. For those guys to be able to help out in a core role, potentially it can help take some off of some other players.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions haven\u2019t kept seven receivers very often in the past, but they\u2019ve never had special teams contributors like Lovett and Meeks.<\/p>\n
And when it comes down to these last roster spots, who is more likely to get claimed: a DB10, LB7, a DL10, or a WR7? Given how receiver-hungry the league is right now, I think the Lions may want to protect those the most.<\/p>\n
If I had to pick between one or the other, it would be Meeks because he has more good preseason tape out there that could result in poaching, but why not keep both?<\/p>\n
Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra
Zach Horton*
Steven Stilianos
Gunnar Oakes <\/p>\n
Horton has a shot if Detroit wants someone who can play fullback full-time, but that doesn\u2019t figure to be a big enough role to warrant a roster spot, in my opinion. Zylstra was taken out of Saturday\u2019s game early, suggesting they value him as TE3.<\/p>\n
Penei Sewell
Taylor Decker
Dan Skipper
Giovanni Manu
Jamarco Jones
Mason Miller*
Gunner Britton<\/p>\n
Manu has shown enough growth to warrant at least one more year of development, and I thought he finished the preseason strong. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much question about Skipper being the primary backup tackle, even though I thought Jones was closing in before injuries sidelined him.<\/p>\n
Interior offensive line (5)<\/p>\n
Graham Glasgow
Christian Mahogany
Tate Ratledge*
Kayode Awosika
Kingsley Eguakun
Netane Muti
Michael Niese
Zack Johnson<\/p>\n
Reserve\/PUP: Miles Frazier*
Return\/Injured Reserve: Trystan Colon<\/p>\n
Eguakun appears to have taken over the backup center role after Colon\u2019s unfortunate injury. We\u2019ve already seen some progress in Colon\u2019s recovery, so don\u2019t be surprised if he challenges for that job once he\u2019s back. That\u2019s why I believe he\u2019ll take up one of Detroit\u2019s two IR-to-return spots allowed at cutdowns.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Awosika and Muti have been neck-and-neck, and I considered keeping both, but Muti isn\u2019t subject to waivers, and hopefully, he\u2019d agree to return on the practice squad.<\/p>\n
Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Al-Quadin Muhammad
Nate Lynn
Isaac Ukwu
Mitchell Agude<\/p>\n
Reserve\/NFI: Josh Paschal
Return\/Injured Reserve: Ahmed Hassanein*<\/p>\n
After Saturday\u2019s subpar efforts in the pass rush, I considered keeping just three defensive ends and basically holding a spot for Za\u2019Darius Smith. The depth here is pretty darn thin, with Josh Paschal now expected to miss the first four games (and potentially more) and Ahmed Hassanein out for the foreseeable future. Some versatility on the interior will help, but for now, I\u2019m just giving a spot to Nate Lynn\u2014he\u2019s flashed more than everyone else in this group. I have concerns about his ability to defend the run, and admittedly, Isaac Ukwu had three quarterback hits in the finale, but I didn\u2019t come away particularly impressed with the reserves here. If there\u2019s some work to do on the roster, it\u2019s here, and it seems like there\u2019s a pretty obvious solution just sitting there.<\/p>\n
DJ Reader
Tyleik Williams*
Roy Lopez
Pat O\u2019Connor
Mekhi Wingo
Keith Cooper*
Chris Smith
Myles Adams
Brodric Martin<\/p>\n
Reserve\/PUP: Alim McNeill<\/p>\n
Keith Cooper\u2019s exclusion was one of the tougher decisions I made, but a few things to point out about him. While yes, he did flash in camp and even get some first-team reps at times, his performance in the preseason was wholly forgettable. In four games, he had a total of five tackles, one quarterback hit, and didn\u2019t earn a PFF grade above 62.1 this preseason (final game grade still pending). Additionally, remember that Cooper didn\u2019t even sign a UDFA contract until he won a spot via rookie minicamp tryouts. That tells me he\u2019s got a good chance to slip through waivers.<\/p>\n
And with the return of Mekhi Wingo\u2014who told reporters he expects to be ready by Week 1\u2014Detroit can go a little thin here. Even if Wingo is not ready by Week 1, the Lions could elevate Cooper from the practice squad for a week or two.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also not sleeping on a complete surprise from this group. I thought Chris Smith had an excellent preseason, but there\u2019s just little need for a third nose tackle with limited upside at a three-tech. Myles Adams has also drawn the praise of Campbell several times, so don\u2019t be shocked if he sticks around.<\/p>\n
Jack Campbell
Alex Anzalone
Derrick Barnes
Grant Stuard
Trevor Nowaske
Zach Cunningham
Anthony Pittman
DaRon Gilbert<\/p>\n
Reserve\/PUP: Malcolm Rodriguez
Full-season IR: Ezekiel Turner<\/p>\n
Not much drama here. Nowaske cemented his spot on the roster a while back as a starter on special teams and the primary backup at SAM. Now that he\u2019s flashing at MIKE. He\u2019s a guy that could be around for years to come. The only question I have here is whether the Lions would consider a seventh linebacker in Anthony Pittman simply for his special teams skills. That could help loosen the load off a guy like Derrick Barnes, who has been repping with special teams starters.<\/p>\n
Terrion Arnold
D.J. Reed
Amik Robertson
Avonte Maddox
Khalil Dorsey
Brian Branch
Kerby Joseph
Rock Ya-Sin
Ian Kennelly*
Erick Hallett
Morice Norris
Loren Strickland
Nick Whiteside
Tyson Russell
D.J. Miller
Luq Barcoo
Allan George<\/p>\n
I\u2019m putting all the defensive backs together because several players (Avonte Maddox, Brian Branch, Rock Ya-Sin, Erick Hallett) blur the lines between cornerback and safety. I have eight guys (Arnold, Reed, Robertson, Maddox, Dorsey, Branch, Joseph, Ya-Sin) as locks. The rest is just a conversation on how many the Lions need to keep. Hallett earns a spot due to his versatility and physical playstyle. Kennelly earns a spot as someone who has been repping with the starting special teams units for the past few weeks in camp. Strickland made a strong push in the final preseason game, but he\u2019s been behind Kennelly for a while.<\/p>\n
I do wonder what the Lions will do with Morice Norris now that we\u2019ve seen him working with a helmet and pads on with trainers. He was always on the roster bubble anyway, but I think he\u2019s a candidate to make the practice squad rather than someone to place on an injury list.<\/p>\n
Jack Fox (P)
Jake Bates (K)
Hogan Hatten (LS)<\/p>\n
Running unopposed is the best.<\/p>\n
At a glance, here\u2019s a look at Jeremy\u2019s current 53-man roster projection:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-Jeremys-final-53-man-projection.png\"\/)
<\/a>30 Comments<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Lions will spend the next three days paring down their roster from 91 players to 53.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,449,1262,23618,733,7452,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-313897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroit-lions-analysis","11":"tag-detroit-lions-opinion","12":"tag-detroit-lions-preseason","13":"tag-detroit-lions-roster","14":"tag-detroit-lions-training-camp","15":"tag-detroitlions","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-lions","18":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115084143137107231","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}