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Our Detroit Lions Bubble Watch is back. Now into Week 3 of training camp, we’re starting to get a firm grasp of which players are locks and which players will likely be off the roster come September. But there’s still a fairly sizable middle group of players that will spend the entire preseason fighting for a spot on this team’s 53-man roster.
So like we do every week, I’ve convened the Pride of Detroit staff to give their opinions on the Lions roster bubble. Each week we check the progress of players and see which are trending up or trending down.
Let’s start with the offense:
Bubble Watch Week 3: Offense
| Player | Jeremy Reisman | Kent Lee | Ryan Mathews | Mike Payton | Hamza | Alex Reno | Andrew Kato | Mansur Shaheen | Kyle Yost | Justin Simon | John Whiticar | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Jeremy Reisman | Kent Lee | Ryan Mathews | Mike Payton | Hamza | Alex Reno | Andrew Kato | Mansur Shaheen | Kyle Yost | Justin Simon | John Whiticar | Change |
| FB Nick Bawden | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 0 |
| WR Jermaine Kearse | IN | IN | iN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 4 |
| WR Tommylee Lewis | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 |
| WR Andy Jones | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | 0 |
| WR Travis Fulgham | IN | IN | OUT | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | IN | 1 |
| WR Brandon Powell | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 |
| OT Ryan Pope | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | -1 |
| OT Andrew Donnal | IN | IN | OUT | IN | IN | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | IN | -1 |
| G Beau Benzschawel | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | -1 |
| G/C Leo Koloamatangi | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 1 |
New to Bubble Watch: N/A
Off the bubble: Oday Aboushi, Kenny Wiggins
At this point, there doesn’t seem to be any question that both Aboushi and Wiggins will make the roster. The question is which will be starting, and even then, it appears Wiggins has the leg up.
Biggest risers: Jermaine Kearse (+4)
Biggest faller: Andrew Donnal (-1), Ryan Pope (-1), Beau Benzschawel (-1)
Jermaine Kearse was clearly the big winner from Week 2 of training camp. He finished the week with a couple strong sets of practices, and the staff here thinks he’s established himself from the crowded receiver competition. All 11 of the staff members here believe he’s currently on the roster, while Travis Fulgham is not far behind with nine of 11 votes.
On the offensive line, the only real debate is to whether the Lions will use an extra roster spot on someone like Andrew Donnal. Currently, eight of 11 still believe he’s in, but that’s one fewer than last week. The undrafted rookie combo of Ryan Pope and Beau Benzschawel—once thought to be diamonds in the rough—now have no votes between them and are in danger of falling off the bubble completely.
Bubble Watch Week 3: Defense
| Player | Jeremy Reisman | Kent Lee | Ryan Mathews | Mike Payton | Hamza | Alex Reno | Andrew Kato | Mansur Shaheen | Kyle Yost | Justin Simon | John Whiticar | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Jeremy Reisman | Kent Lee | Ryan Mathews | Mike Payton | Hamza | Alex Reno | Andrew Kato | Mansur Shaheen | Kyle Yost | Justin Simon | John Whiticar | Change |
| EDGE Eric Lee | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | 3 |
| EDGE Malik Carney | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 |
| EDGE Mitchell Loewen | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | -4 |
| DT P.J. Johnson | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | IN | 0 |
| DT John Atkins | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 3 |
| LB Steve Longa | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | -1 |
| LB Miles Killebrew | IN | IN | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | IN | IN | 2 |
| CB Teez Tabor | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | IN | OUT | IN | IN | IN | IN | -2 |
| CB Mike Ford | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | -1 |
| CB Marcus Cooper | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | -2 |
| S Andrew Adams | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 1 |
| S Charles Washington | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | -1 |
| S Tavon Wilson | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | N/A |
New to bubble watch: Tavon Wilson
Off the bubble: Anthony Pittman (OUT)
After some solid play from Andrew Adams, Tavon Wilson’s job may be in more jeopardy than originally believed. The safety position is loaded, and there may not be room for a guy like Wilson, who’s pushing 30. Wilson opens his Bubble Watch appearance with the support of just three staffers, but Monday’s impressive practice could have him on the rise for next week.
Anthony Pittman was another undrafted rookie who created some early buzz. But despite the many injuries to the linebacking corps, he hasn’t made the most of his opportunities.
Biggest risers: Eric Lee (+3), John Atkins, (+3), Miles Killebrew (+2)
Biggest fallers: Mitchell Loewen (-4), Teez Tabor (-2), Marcus Cooper (-2)
Thanks to continued injuries along the defensive front, defensive end Eric Lee and defensive tackle John Atkins have seen plenty of time with the Lions’ first-team defense. That alone seems to have convince much of the staff that both will find a spot on the roster as a reserve lineman. Both Lee and Atkins still have more OUT votes than IN, but they’re trending in the right direction.
Miles Killebrew also gained some support, likely because of the high praise head coach Matt Patricia sent his way last week. At this point, only three staffers have him on the outside looking in.
The Lions cornerbacks saw a big shift in the bubble this week. With Teez Tabor and Marcus Cooper both dealing with injuries, they are starting to slide into dangerous territory. Those players are in desperate need of playing time to prove their worth, and sitting on the sidelines won’t help their chances.
The Mitchell Loewen hype lasted exactly one week after a strong open to camp. Loewen is still getting the early playing time, but with the return of Romeo Okwara, his play has been overshadowed a bit. Still, seven PODers still have him on their roster.