Detroit Lions roster bubble watch: Predicting roster battles outcomes on defense

On Monday, we broke down the current statuses of the Detroit Lions roster battles on offense. As you may have noticed, many of those battles seemed to have somewhat obvious outcomes, and most of our staff were unanimous in our decisions.

Now we turn our focus to the defense, where some roster battles are starting to come into focus, while others remain very much wide open. To be clear, none of these battles have been decided just a week into training camp, but some favorites have certainly emerged.

Below is our Bubble Watch: Week 1 votes, where members of our staff vote whether a player on the roster bubble will make (IN) or miss (OUT) the initial 53-man roster. We also take note of the players on the rise and fall based on last week’s votes.

Take a look:

EDGE

Changes:

• Romeo Okwara added to Bubble Watch, received 7/7 votes
• Julian Okwara, down 2 votes

It may be a stretch to put Romeo Okwara on the roster bubble, but it’s worth noting that he’s been taking a lot of reps with the second and third teams. The team has clearly favored Charles Harris as a starter, and it’s been a relatively quiet start for Romeo with the reserves.

As for his brother, Julian, the entire staff now has him on the outside looking in. Though he’s been consistently repping ahead of James Houston—who is a unanimous “IN” from our staff—Julian has had a tough time standing out. Houston, too, has struggled in his play as a SAM linebacker, but his value as a situational pass rusher has our staff still believing he’s in.

Defensive tackle

Changes:

• Levi Onwuzurike, up 7 votes
• Christian Covington, down 5 votes
• Benito Jones, down 1 vote

This is all a reaction to the surprising news at the start of last week that Onwuzurike had avoided the Physically Unable to Perform list. He went from a consensus out to a consensus in.

That said, there is still plenty of work to be done for Onwuzurike, who continues to rep mainly with the third team defense as the coaching staff ramps up his physical activity.

“That player is still in the developmental phase also because he didn’t really get a chance to do the things that’s expected of a defensive lineman coming into the NFL,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “So he still has a ways to go. But I like exactly where he’s at.”

Covington took the biggest hit following Onwuzurike’s return. Covington is still regularly repping with the second team, but he has failed to make much of an impression during camp thus far. That said, Benito Jones did get some love from coach Dan Campbell this week.

“Benito’s doing some really good things out there.”

Linebackers

No changes

Jalen Reeves-Maybin continues to be IN according to our entire staff, while Anthony Pittman remains a split decision. Pittman is a solid special teamer, but it’s hard to find a place for him on the defensive roster. He’s repping late as an off-ball linebacker, and the Lions have even tried to use him at the SAM position at times.

Cornerback

Changes:

• Chase Lucas, down 1 vote
• Added Steven Gilmore — 0 votes

Gilmore has worked his way onto the roster bubble after a couple of strong practices working mainly with the second and third-team defense. However, no one is quite ready to put him on the 53-man roster yet. Still, he’s gained the attention of Campbell.

“He has some awareness about him, he has some instincts, he has ball skills, pretty good movement skills. I think for him, it’s going to be – some of it, along with development, is the physical development. He’s not a real big guy. He has to get a little bit of mass on him, get a little bit stronger. I think that will be – that’s kind of going to be part of what, with him, how fast can those things come to really help him, but we see growth out of him.”

Starling Thomas V continues to be unanimously IN as he stacks solid training camp days. Meanwhile, Lucas drops a spot. The Lions have been trying to use Lucas wherever they can find a spot for him—outside corner, nickel, and safety— but it may be tough to warrant a roster spot as DB11 for him with so much versatility already on the roster. Like always, it may come down to special teams.

Safety

Changes

• Saivion Smith, down 1 vote
• Brady Breeze, down 1 vote
• Brandon Joseph, down 1 vote

It’s been a somewhat quiet camp for the Lions safety depth, and our staff is clearly wondering if the roster spot behind Ifeatu Melifonwu—still a unanimous IN—is worthy of an extra player or if Detroit’s versatility from “cornerbacks” like Brian Branch, Will Harris, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson allow the Lions to limit their depth on pure safeties and use that roster spot elsewhere. Among this group, Smith has been getting more consistent reps with the second team, but it’s dangerous to make too many assumptions based on that information this early in camp.

Long snapper

Changes: None

Jake McQuaide and Scott Daly continue to trade days with the “first-team” kicking units, and there has not been a stark enough difference in play to change our staff’s opinions on McQuaide, the veteran, holding the spot.

Kicker

Changes:

• Riley Patterson, up 2 votes
• Parker Romo, down 2 votes

Early in camp, Patterson was getting most of the first-team reps, but by the end of Week 1, Romo had started to share days with him as the No. 1. The two have almost identical in their production during camp, with Patterson having one more miss than Romo through Monday’s practice.