Detroit Lions preseason Week 3 bubble watch: Say hello to Dwayne Washington

There have been a lot of little surprises from the Detroit Lions roster this training camp. First, it was the emergence of Jon Bostic, who was playing well in DeAndre Levy’s absence, before an injury left him in need of surgery. Then, it looked like receiver Jay Lee and tight end Cole Wick, both undrafted rookies, were going to make a serious run at the final roster.

But the latest surprise in the Lions’ depth chart is seventh-round pick Dwayne Washington. In just two preseason games, Washington has a kickoff return for a touchdown, leads all Lions running backs with 4.1 yards per carry and has the team’s only rushing touchdown.

With his emergence, paired with little success from fringe players like Stevan Ridley and George Winn, Washington has a real chance at the final 53-man roster. Here’s what our nine staffers think he, and several other bubble players, stand after two preseason games.

Offense

Washington wasn't the only offensive player to suddenly make his case for the roster. Andre Roberts, who wasn't included in the bubble watch previously, now has six of nine staffer believing he will make the final roster. His roster spot mostly comes at the expense of Jay Lee, who continues to be essentially invisible during the preseason, despite turning heads in training camp.

In addition to Lee, Stevan Ridley is in free fall. Ridley has lost the support of all Pride Of Detroit staff, aside from Alex Reno. George Winn is down to just three believers, as well.

Interestingly, no one chose Jake Rudock on the final roster, despite Dan Orlovsky's back-to-back weeks with a pick-six.

Defense

Oddly enough, Alex Carter saw a huge bump in support from the staff. After being a near-unanimous cut last week, five of nine now believe he'll make it to the final 53. Khaseem Greene is now a unanimous cut, perhaps because of the return of DeAndre Levy, who was a full participant in practice on Sunday.

Along the defensive line, faith in Gabe Wright is plummeting. Last week, he unanimously made the roster, but after another disappointing preseason performance, three staffers have Wright on the outside looking in.

#LongSnapperWatch2016

Only Justin Simon switched teams this week, joining the now majority of writers who believe Don Muhlbach will beat out rookie Jimmy Landes for the long snapping job.