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The Detroit Lions' initial 53-man roster for the 2014 season is now in place. How exactly did it come together? Check out the table below.
| Pos. | Player | Age | Signed through | Acquired |
| QB | Matthew Stafford | 26 | 2017 | 2009: Drafted 1st overall (1st round) |
| Dan Orlovsky | 31 | 2014 | 2014: Signed as free agent | |
| Kellen Moore | 25 | 2014 | 2012: Signed as undrafted free agent | |
| RB | Reggie Bush | 29 | 2016 | 2013: Signed as free agent |
| Joique Bell | 28 | 2016 | 2011: Signed as free agent (off Saints practice squad) | |
| Theo Riddick | 23 | 2016 | 2013: Drafted 199th overall (6th round) | |
| FB | Jed Collins | 28 | 2014 | 2014: Signed as free agent |
| Montell Owens | 30 | 2014 | 2013: Signed as free agent | |
| WR | Calvin Johnson | 28 | 2019 | 2007: Drafted 2nd overall (1st round) |
| Golden Tate | 26 | 2018 | 2014: Signed as free agent | |
| Kevin Ogletree | 27 | 2014 | 2013: Signed as free agent | |
| Ryan Broyles | 26 | 2015 | 2012: Drafted 54th overall (2nd round) | |
| Jeremy Ross | 26 | 2014 | 2013: Signed as free agent (off Lions practice squad) | |
| Corey Fuller | 24 | 2015 | 2013: Drafted 171st overall (6th round) | |
| TE | Brandon Pettigrew | 29 | 2017 | 2009: Drafted 20th overall (1st round) |
| Joseph Fauria | 24 | 2015 | 2013: Signed as undrafted free agent | |
| Eric Ebron | 21 | 2017 + team option |
2014: Drafted 10th overall (1st round) | |
| OT | Riley Reiff | 25 | 2015 + team option | 2012: Drafted 23rd overall (1st round) |
| LaAdrian Waddle | 23 | 2015 | 2013: Signed as undrafted free agent | |
| Corey Hilliard | 29 | 2014 | 2009: Signed as free agent (off Browns practice squad) | |
| Cornelius Lucas | 23 | 2016 | 2014: Signed as undrafted free agent | |
| OG | Rob Sims | 30 | 2014 | 2010: Traded from Seahawks |
| Larry Warford | 23 | 2016 | 2013: Drafted 65th overall (3rd round) | |
| C | Dominic Raiola | 35 | 2014 | 2001: Drafted 50th overall (2nd round) |
| Travis Swanson | 23 | 2017 | 2014: Drafted 76th overall (3rd round) | |
| DE | Ziggy Ansah | 25 | 2016 + team option | 2013: Drafted 5th overall (1st round) |
| Jason Jones | 28 | 2015 | 2013: Signed as free agent | |
| Devin Taylor | 24 | 2016 | 2013: Drafted 132nd overall (4th round) | |
| Larry Webster | 24 | 2017 | 2014: Drafted 136th overall (4th round) | |
| George Johnson | 26 | 2014 | 2014: Signed as free agent | |
| DT | Ndamukong Suh | 27 | 2014 + player option | 2010: Drafted 2nd overall (1st round) |
| C.J. Mosley | 31 | 2014 | 2013: Signed as free agent | |
| Nick Fairley | 26 | 2014 | 2011: Drafted 13th overall (1st round) | |
| Caraun Reid | 22 | 2017 | 2014: Drafted 158th overall (5th round) | |
| LB | DeAndre Levy | 27 | 2015 | 2009: Drafted 76th overall (3rd round) |
| Stephen Tulloch | 29 | 2016 | 2011: Signed as free agent | |
| Tahir Whitehead | 24 | 2015 | 2012: Drafted 138th overall (5th round) | |
| Kyle Van Noy | 23 | 2017 | 2014: Drafted 40th overall (2nd round) | |
| Ashlee Palmer | 28 | 2014 | 2010: Claimed off waivers (from Bills) | |
| Travis Lewis | 26 | 2015 | 2012: Drafted 223rd overall (7th round) | |
| CB | Darius Slay | 23 | 2016 | 2013: Drafted 36th overall (2nd round) |
| Rashean Mathis | 34 | 2014 | 2013: Signed as free agent | |
| Bill Bentley | 25 | 2015 | 2012: Drafted 85th overall (3rd round) | |
| Cassius Vaughn | 26 | 2014 | 2014: Signed as free agent | |
| Nevin Lawson | 23 | 2017 | 2014: Drafted 133rd overall (4th round) | |
| S | Glover Quin | 28 | 2017 | 2013: Signed as free agent |
| James Ihedigbo | 30 | 2015 | 2014: Signed as free agent | |
| Don Carey | 27 | 2016 | 2012: Signed as free agent | |
| Isa Abdul-Quddus | 25 | 2014 | 2014: Claimed off waivers (from Saints) | |
| Jerome Couplin | 23 | 2016 | 2014: Signed as undrafted free agent | |
| K | Nate Freese | 24 | 2017 | 2014: Drafted 229th overall (7th round) |
| P | Sam Martin | 24 | 2016 | 2013: Drafted 137th overall (5th round) |
| LS | Don Muhlbach | 33 | 2014 | 2004: Signed as free agent |
Currently, the Lions have 25 players on offense, 25 on defense and three on special teams. Overall, 26 players joined the team as draft picks of the Lions (not including Dan Orlovsky, who is on his second stint after signing as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason). 16 players joined as free agents, meanwhile, and five joined as undrafted free agents. Also, two of the Lions' players were claimed off waivers, one was acquired via a trade and three were signed off of practice squads.
Going into the 2014 season, Dominic Raiola is the Lions' oldest player at 35 years old. He's just ahead of Rashean Mathis (34) and Don Muhlbach (33). At the other end of the spectrum, Eric Ebron is the Lions' youngest player at 21 years old, and the Lions have 23 total players who are 25 or younger. Only eight players are 30 or older. (The Lions' average age is around 26.4.)
Finally, here's the year-by-year breakdown of when the Lions acquired their 53 players:
2014: 16
2013: 17
2012: 7
2011: 3
2010: 3
2009: 4
2007: 1
2004: 1
2001: 1
Amazingly, 33 of the Lions' players weren't even on the team before last year. That says a lot about how much turnover there is in the NFL, and it also says a lot about who the Lions have added in the last couple years. Case in point: Of the Lions' 17 draft picks from 2013 and 2014, 14 are on their 53-man roster, and two others are still with the team in other capacities (one is on the practice squad and one is on the PUP list). Only Brandon Hepburn is completely gone from the Lions.
It's also important to note that four undrafted free agents have made the Lions in the last two years. Between that and their draft numbers from 2013 and 2014, the Lions have seemingly improved quite a bit in the scouting department as of late. If they can continue to do this on a yearly basis going forward, perhaps they will finally be on the path to becoming a perennial contender.