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With training camp still a month away, the Detroit Lions roster is fairly stable for the time being. Now that we have a small impression of how the coaches feel about the roster -- based on minicamp and organized team activities -- it's time to go back to the current 89-man roster and predict who the final 53 players on the team may be. Of course, chances are by Week 1 the Lions will have at least one or two players on their team that aren't even currently on the roster. But this is a good exercise in seeing where the roster currently stands.
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QB Matthew Stafford QB Dan Orlovsky QB Jake Rudock RB Stevan Ridley RB Ameer Abdullah RB Theo Riddick RB Zach Zenner RB George Winn RB Dwayne Washington FB Michael Burton WR Golden Tate WR Marvin Jones WR Jeremy Kerley WR TJ Jones WR Andre Caldwell WR Corey Fuller WR Jace Billingsley WR Damian Copeland WR Quinshad Davis WR Jay Lee WR Ryan Spadola WR Andre Roberts |
TE Brandon Pettigrew TE Eric Ebron TE Cole Wick TE Matthew Mulligan TE Adam Fuehne TE Ben McCord TE Orson Charles OT Riley Reiff OT Taylor Decker OT Michael Ola OT Corey Robinson OT Cornelius Lucas OT Chase Farris OG Laken Tomlinson OG Larry Warford OG Joe Dahl OG Geoff Schwartz C Travis Swanson C Graham Glasgow C Gabe Ikard |
DE Ziggy Ansah DE Devin Taylor DE Anthony Zettel DE Wallace Gilberry DE Brandon Copeland DE Deonte Gibson DT Haloti Ngata DT Tyrunn Walker DT A'Shawn Robinson DT Caraun Reid DT Stefan Charles DT Gabe Wright DT Khyri Thornton DT Kerry Hyder DT Louis Palmer LB DeAndre Levy LB Tahir Whitehead LB Josh Bynes LB Antwione Williams LB Kyle Van Noy LB Stephen Tulloch LB Khaseem Greene LB Jerry Franklin LB Jon Bostic LB Zaviar Gooden |
CB Darius Slay CB Nevin Lawson CB Alex Carter CB Quandre Diggs CB Darrin Walls CB Johnson Bademosi CB Crezdon Butler CB Adairius Barnes CB Keith Lewis CB Ian Wells CB Charles Washington S Glover Quin S Rafael Bush S Miles Killebrew S Tavon Wilson S Isaiah Johnson S Don Carey K Matt Prater K Devon Bell P Sam Martin LS Jimmy Landes LS Don Muhlbach |
Changes from last time
IN: Cole Wick, Kyle Van Noy
OUT: Tim Wright, Corey Robinson
Tim Wright was placed on injured reserve, so he obviously won't be part of the Lions' final roster. Based on the ravings of beat writers during minicamp and OTAs, Cole Wick seems like the most likely candidate to step up. With Brandon Pettigrew still yet to join any practices, Wick will continue to get the opportunity to justify a roster spot.
The Lions have a plethora of offensive linemen who are quite versatile on the roster, making Corey Robinson expendable. Robinson also still has practice squad eligibility, so the Lions could potentially keep him if they are afraid he could still develop into something bigger. In his spot, I placed Kyle Van Noy, not because I believe in the hype from minicamp (I don't). Rather, the Lions are quite shorthanded at the linebacker position and Van Noy is the most likely out of the bunch to separate himself from the pack.
Offense summary
The biggest competition remaining on offense is the wide receiver position. Many came out of camp impressed by the work Andre Caldwell did, so he remains the last man in on the group. But look out for newcomer Andre Roberts, who adds a dimension as a punt returner. Of course, don't sleep on UDFAs Jay Lee and new fan favorite (of mine) Jace Billingsley.
I'm still absolutely convinced the Lions will keep three quarterbacks on the roster. There have been absolutely no signs of Detroit being fed up with Dan Orlovsky and although it appears Jake Rudock is coming along slowly, the Lions need a long-term option at backup quarterback, so it would be foolish to let Rudock go. Of course, Detroit could choose to add him to the practice squad, but that adds the unnecessary risk of losing him to free agency.
With both Geoff Schwartz and Joe Dahl able to play the tackle position, I think this is the year Corey Robinson is finally let go. With all of their versatility, there's no real reason to think the Lions would have to carry 10 linemen. Even if they were, a guy like Gabe Ikard may have a better chance than Robinson at this point.
Defensive summary
Kyle Van Noy owes a big thank you to Brandon Copeland for agreeing to move to defensive end. The move leaves the Lions quite thin at linebacker and adds a lot of value to Van Noy's presence. Copeland, himself, may have put himself on the bubble by adding himself to a crowded, but not-so-talented defensive end grouping. However, because there aren't any clear winners outside of the two starters, I think the Lions may choose to keep five defensive ends on the roster to keep the competition tight.
Everything else has pretty much stayed the same. Isaiah Johnson could very well make a play for a secondary position, but I favored newer, Bob Quinn guys when talent was seemingly even. So although Johnson may have made a few decent plays during last year's preseason, Tavon Wilson is a guy Quinn went out and signed. He has to be the favorite. It's the same situation at cornerback with Darrin Walls vs. Johnson Bademosi vs. Crezdon Butler. Butler is the last man out simply for the reason that he wasn't a Quinn acquisition.