Lions vs. Patriots: Louis Delmas in, Calvin Johnson out

The Detroit Lions will once again be without wide receiver Calvin Johnson on Thursday night when they take on the New England Patriots, but safety Louis Delmas is set to make his preseason debut. That's right -- Johnson is out because of a knee contusion and Delmas finally appears ready to get on the field during an actual game.

In addition to Johnson, the Lions will be without quarterback Shaun Hill, tight end Matt Veldman, defensive tackle John Drew and cornerback Ross Weaver on Thursday night. This means Kellen Moore and Thaddeus Lewis should get an extended look after Matthew Stafford leaves the game.

In non-injury news, the Lions have made some changes to their starting lineup:

A couple lineup changes. Warford will start at RG for Dylan Gandy and Darius Slay will start at CB in place of Ron Bartell.

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) August 22, 2013

I have a feeling those moves will become permanent. The Lions have been steadily getting Larry Warford ready to become the starting right guard, and Darius Slay has already really taken over the starting spot at right cornerback. Poor performances could obviously change the Lions' plans, but I'd be surprised if these two rookies aren't starting when the regular season opens.

More from Pride Of Detroit:

• VIDEO: What to watch for in Lions' game against Patriots
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• Lions notes: Rashean Mathis, Sam Martin, more
• Lions vs. Patriots preseason 2013: Game time, TV schedule, online streaming and more
• Lions vs. Patriots: 10 things to watch in third preseason game