Admittedly, not a lot has changed with my Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction from before training camp to now. We're only nine practices into training camp, and until some actual games are played, it's still tough to get a read on how certain battles for roster spots will play out.
Even so, I did end up making some adjustments to my 53-man roster prediction, and you can check out my pre-preseason guess below.
QB Matthew Stafford QB Shaun Hill QB Kellen Moore QB Thaddeus Lewis RB Reggie Bush RB Mikel Leshoure RB Joique Bell RB Montell Owens RB Steven Miller RB Theo Riddick FB Shaun Chapas WR Calvin Johnson WR Nate Burleson WR Ryan Broyles WR Kris Durham WR Patrick Edwards WR Mike Thomas WR Corey Fuller WR Micheal Spurlock WR Chaz Schilens WR Matt Willis WR Terrence Austin WR Cody Wilson |
TE Brandon Pettigrew TE Tony Scheffler TE Michael Williams TE Joseph Fauria TE Matt Veldman OT Riley Reiff OT Corey Hilliard OT Jason Fox OT LaAdrian Waddle OT Austin Holtz OG Rob Sims OG Larry Warford OG Rodney Austin OG Dylan Gandy OG Jake Scott OG Derek Hardman OG Darren Keyton C Dominic Raiola C Leroy Harris |
DE Ziggy Ansah DE Jason Jones DE Israel Idonije DE Willie Young DE Devin Taylor DE Ronnell Lewis DE Braylon Broughton DT Ndamukong Suh DT Nick Fairley DT C.J. Mosley DT Andre Fluellen DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen DT Xavier Proctor LB Stephen Tulloch LB DeAndre Levy LB Ashlee Palmer LB Tahir Whitehead LB Travis Lewis LB Cory Greenwood LB Carmen Messina LB Brandon Hepburn LB Jon Morgan |
CB Chris Houston CB Darius Slay CB Jonte Green CB Bill Bentley CB Ron Bartell CB Chris Greenwood CB Ross Weaver CB D.J. Johnson CB DeQuan Menzie CB Brandon King S Glover Quin S Louis Delmas S Don Carey S Chris Hope S John Wendling S Amari Spievey S Tyrell Johnson S Martavius Neloms S Trevor Coston K David Akers K Havard Rugland P Sam Martin P Blake Clingan LS Don Muhlbach |
Changes to the 53-man roster
Steven Miller in, Micheal Spurlock out - When it comes to the return job, in-game performance is likely going to play the biggest factor in determining who makes the team. This is just a complete guess more than anything, but I like what I've heard so far about Miller.
Kris Durham and Patrick Edwards in, Mike Thomas and Corey Fuller out - Clearly I'm buying into the hype surrounding Durham and Edwards. Both players have seemingly been outstanding so far during camp, and right now it just seems like they are poised to bring more to the offense at wide receiver than Thomas and Fuller.
Dylan Gandy in, Leroy Harris out - Gandy and Jake Scott are both working ahead of Harris in the rotation at right guard. That could change down the road, but as of right now, I can't see Gandy being cut. He's in the mix to start at right guard, and he is an important backup at center as well. (I decided to keep Rodney Austin over Scott simply because Gandy and Scott are so similar. Keeping Austin to develop makes sense.)
Andre Fluellen in, Ogemdi Nwagbuo out - With Fluellen joining the team shortly after my last 53-man roster prediction came out, this was an easy switch to make.
Changes I decided against for the time being
The Kellen Moore vs. Thaddeus Lewis battle will depend on what happens during the preseason, so I decided to leave that the same. I also decided against adding Joseph Fauria as the fourth tight end, Ronnell Lewis as the sixth defensive end and Chris Greenwood as the sixth cornerback. I could see all three guys ending up on the team, but right now I just don't see room for them. Perhaps injuries or performances in the preseason will change that.
Generally speaking, it's important to remember that the Lions still have four games to be played before the final round of cuts arrives. A lot can and probably will change from now until then, and these predictions are far from set in stone as a result.