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With one preseason game to go, here's my latest Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction:
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QB Matthew Stafford QB Dan Orlovsky QB Kellen Moore RB Reggie Bush RB Joique Bell RB Theo Riddick RB George Winn RB Mikel Leshoure FB Jed Collins FB Montell Owens FB Emil Igwenagu WR Calvin Johnson WR Golden Tate WR Ryan Broyles WR Kris Durham WR Jeremy Ross WR Kevin Ogletree WR Corey Fuller WR Pat Edwards WR Andrew Peacock |
TE Eric Ebron TE Brandon Pettigrew TE Joseph Fauria TE Jordan Thompson TE Michael Egnew OT Riley Reiff OT LaAdrian Waddle OT Corey Hilliard OT Cornelius Lucas OT Michael Williams OG Rob Sims OG Larry Warford OG Rodney Austin OG Garrett Reynolds OG Darren Keyton C Dominic Raiola C Travis Swanson |
DE Ziggy Ansah DE Jason Jones DE Devin Taylor DE Larry Webster DE George Johnson DE Darryl Tapp DT Ndamukong Suh DT C.J. Mosley DT Nick Fairley DT Caraun Reid DT Andre Fluellen DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen DT Xavier Proctor LB DeAndre Levy LB Stephen Tulloch LB Kyle Van Noy LB Tahir Whitehead LB Ashlee Palmer LB Travis Lewis LB Julian Stanford LB Brandon Hepburn LB Shamari Benton |
CB Darius Slay CB Rashean Mathis CB Bill Bentley CB Cassius Vaughn CB Nevin Lawson CB Chris Greenwood CB Mohammed Seisay S Glover Quin S James Ihedigbo S Don Carey S Jerome Couplin S Isa Abdul-Quddus S Nate Ness K Nate Freese P Sam Martin LS Don Muhlbach |
(You can see my 53-man roster prediction from last week here.)
Changes to the 53-man roster
S Jerome Couplin in, S DeJon Gomes out - With Gomes on injured reserve, Couplin gets elevated to the 53-man roster. He's had a pretty solid preseason, and he's shown a lot of potential considering he was an undrafted free agent. I think he has the edge to take Gomes' spot over the other backup safeties.
S Isa Abdul-Quddus in, CB Chris Greenwood out - I may have Couplin ahead of him, but I still think there's room for Abdul-Quddus on the 53-man roster. A spot for him could open up if the Lions decide to move on from Don Carey, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, but in this case I have them keeping an extra safety instead of an extra cornerback. As a result, Greenwood is the odd man out after a somewhat shaky preseason, and he's bound for the practice squad in this scenario.
K Nate Freese in, K Giorgio Tavecchio out - With Tavecchio missing a long field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars and later being released, there's not much to say here. Freese is the Lions' starting kicker going forward.
Things to keep an eye on later this week
Going into the preseason finale, there are several questions that come to mind:
- Will George Winn or Mikel Leshoure do enough to make the team, and will either push Montell Owens out of a spot in the process?
- Will the Lions keep five or six wide receivers?
- Could Michael Williams jump ahead of Cornelius Lucas for the final tackle spot?
- Are six defensive ends really necessary?
- Are six linebackers really necessary, and what does Kyle Van Noy's injury mean for this position?
- Should the Lions keep Chris Greenwood instead of a 10th defensive lineman or a fifth safety?
- Where is Don Carey at from a health standpoint?
This is basically a summary of all the spots that are up for grabs and the areas on the 53-man roster where I'm still unsure of some things. Hopefully Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills will help answer at least some of these questions, because the Lions will have to get down to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.