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After a pretty disappointing performance against the Washington Redskins, especially from the second and third string teams, let's see how the bottom of the Detroit Lions roster shakes out in our prediction for the final 53- man roster.
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QB Matthew Stafford QB Dan Orlovsky QB Kellen Moore QB Garrett Gilbert RB Joique Bell RB Ameer Abdullah RB Theo Riddick RB George Winn RB Zach Zenner RB Desmond Martin FB Michael Burton FB Emil Igwenagu WR Calvin Johnson WR Golden Tate WR Lance Moore WR Corey Fuller WR Jeremy Ross WR TJ Jones WR Ryan Broyles WR Greg Salas WR Andrew Peacock WR Vernon Johnson |
TE Eric Ebron TE Brandon Pettigrew TE Joseph Fauria TE Deon Butler TE Casey Pierce TE Jacob Maxwell OT Riley Reiff OT LaAdrian Waddle OT Cornelius Lucas OT Michael Williams OT Corey Robinson OT Xavier Proctor OG Laken Tomlinson OG Larry Warford OG Manny Ramirez OG Torrian Wilson OG Al Bond C Travis Swanson C Taylor Boggs C Darren Keyton C Braxston Cave |
DE Ezekiel Ansah DE Jason Jones DE Darryl Tapp DE Devin Taylor DE Larry Webster DE Corey Wootton DE Phillip Hunt DE Erik Williams DT Haloti Ngata DT Tyrunn Walker DT Caraun Reid DT Gabe Wright DT Jermelle Cudjo DT Roy Philon DT Kerry Hyder DT Jerel Worthy LB DeAndre Levy LB Stephen Tulloch LB Tahir Whitehead LB Josh Bynes LB Travis Lewis LB Julian Stanford LB Kyle Van Noy LB Brandon Copeland LB Justin Cherocci |
CB Darius Slay CB Rashean Mathis CB Nevin Lawson CB Josh Wilson CB Quandre Diggs CB Alex Carter CB Crezdon Butler CB R.J. Stanford CB Chris Owens CB Jocquel Skinner S Glover Quin S James Ihedigbo S Isa Abdul-Quddus S Don Carey S Nate Ness S Isaiah Johnson S Brian Suite K Matt Prater K Kyle Brindza P Sam Martin LS Don Muhlbach |
What changed?
Kyle Van Noy out, Julian Stanford in - This is based on injury alone. The Lions can't afford to cut ties with Van Noy this early in his career, even if it looks like he's having a tough time catching on. That being said, his injury looks like it may be more severe than the Lions were leading on originally. I wouldn't be surprised to see Van Noy start the season on the IR with the designation to return. That would be a huge disappointment given that's a lot like how his rookie season started out, but it may be better to let him heal at this point.
Potential changes down the road
Zach Zenner - Zenner continues to make his case for the final running back spot on the roster. His dominant performance against the Redskins made it tough to leave him out again, but the truth is the Lions are most likely looking for a special teams guy as their fourth back, and George Winn has excelled at that.
Defensive ends - The bottom of the defensive end chart is filled with a bunch of potential. Phillip Hunt had an impressive performance last Thursday and made a case for a roster spot. Could he dethrone former draft picks Devin Taylor or Larry Webster?
Can Jeremy Ross hold on? - Ross has continued to struggle as the team's kick and punt returner; however, he impressed in Week 2 of the preseason as a receiver, pulling in 4 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. TJ Jones has been decent as a returner, but he, nor Ryan Broyles, has shown much as a receiver this preseason.