2023 Detroit Lions updated depth chart: Preseason Game 2 vs. Jaguars

In Week 1 of the preseason, following joint practices with the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions rested 28 players, including 21 slated for starting roles. With a second set of joint practices under their belt, this time against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Lions once again appear content on resting several of their top players in Week 2 as well.

“Another reason we do these (joint practices) is that I feel like you’ve got two great days of work, banked a lot of reps, and so I don’t see us playing these starters this week. I don’t see it,” coach Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket Thursday morning. “We’re going to sit that core group again and let some of these young guys go. There may be a few select rookies we don’t play. We’ll see where we’re at there as well. But I think that’s the benefit of having this (joint practice session).”

With nearly a third of the 91-man roster resting, it can be challenging to track the players on the field, and having an up-to-date depth chart can be a valuable resource for fans looking for a more enjoyable experience. Therefore, we have based this look at the Lions' depth chart on the observations from the Pride of Detroit staff, who have been on hand for every training camp practice this fall.

To help out your viewing experience, we listed each player’s number next to their name, bolded the projected starters (who will likely rest), italicized the injured players unlikely to play, and added an asterisk* after the rookies’ names.

Quarterback (4 + 1 injured)

• Jared Goff (16)
• Teddy Bridgewater (50) or Nate Sudfeld (10)
• Adrian Martinez* (18)
• Hendon Hooker* (12) — not eligible to play, on the NFI list

It’s not clear if Bridgewater or Sudfeld will start this game—probably Sudfeld—but regardless of who plays first, Bridgewater seems like the clear favorite for the QB2 job on the roster this season.

Running back (8)

• David Montgomery (5)
• Jahmyr Gibbs* (26)
• Jason Cabinda (45), FB
• Craig Reynolds (13) — returned to practice this week
• Jermar Jefferson (28) — returned to practice this week
• Mohamed Ibrahim* (33) — missed both joint practices this week
• Devine Ozigbo (30)
• Benny Snell (38)

Wide receiver (12)

• Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) — injured on Wednesday, expected to return on Monday
• Josh Reynolds (8)
• Kalif Raymond (11)
• Jameson Williams (9) — expected to miss the rest of the preseason
• Marvin Jones Jr. (0)
• Dylan Drummond* (83)
• Antoine Green* (80)
• Trinity Benson (19) — returned to practice this week
• Maurice Alexander (15) — missed both joint practices this week
• Chase Cota* (88)
• Avery Davis* (84)
• Jason Moore (TBD) — signed on Friday

Expect to see a heavy dose of Benson along with rookies Drummond, Green, and Cota.

Tight end (5 + 1)

• Brock Wright (89)
• Sam LaPorta* (87)
• James Mitchell (82)
• Darrell Daniels (86) — returned to practice this week
• Daniel Helm (43)
• Shane Zylstra (84) — On injured reserve, his season is over

Projected starting offensive line (18)

Starters (All expected to rest)

• LT — Taylor Decker (68)
• LG — Jonah Jackson (73)
• C — Frank Ragnow (77)
• RG — Halapoulivaati Vaitai (72) or Graham Glasgow (60)
• RT — Penei Sewell (58)

Top reserves

• LT — Germain Ifedi (70) — played RT last week, LT this week in practices
• LG — Colby Sorsdal* (75) — played RG last week, LG this week in practices
• C — Brad Cecil* (64)
• RG — Kayode Awosika (74) or Darrin Paulo (69)
• RT — Matt Nelson (67) — played LT last week, RT this week in practices

Deep reserves

• LT — Connor Galvin* (76)
• LG — Awosika (74) or Paulo (69)
• C — Alex Molette (61)
• RG — Bobby Hart (51)
• RT—Obinna Eze (65)
• LT — Max Pircher (63) — International pathway program player
• RT — Ryan Swoboda* (62)

Interior defensive line (8)

• DT — Alim McNeill (54)
• DT — Isaiah Buggs (96)
• DT — Brodric Martin* (98)
• DT — Benito Jones (94)
• DL — Levi Onwuzurike (91)
• DL — Christian Covington (52)
• DL — Cory Durden* (90)
• DL — Chris Smith* (91)

EDGE Rushers (7)

• EDGE — Aidan Hutchinson (97)
• DE/SAM — Charles Harris (53)
• DE/IDL — John Cominsky (79)
• DE/IDL — Josh Paschal (93)
• EDGE — Romeo Okwara (95) — possible injury, missed practice on Thursday
• SAM — James Houston (41)
• SAM — Julian Okwara (99)

As a reminder, this is the way this position group roles breakdown is:

• EDGE = can play the edge with hand in dirt or standing, while also reducing inside in pass rushing situations
• DE/SAM = can play the edge with hand in dirt or standing
• DE/IDL = can play edge with hand in the dirt or reduce inside in base sets
• SAM = standup pass rusher

Off-the-ball linebacker (7)

• WILL — Alex Anzalone (34)
• MIKE — Derrick Barnes (55)
• MIKE — Jack Campbell* (46)
• WILL — Malcolm Rodriguez (44)
• WILL — Jalen Reeves-Maybin (42)
• MIKE/SAM — Anthony Pittman (57)
• MIKE/SAM — Trevor Nowaske* (59)

Cornerback (6 + 1)

• Cameron Sutton (1)
• Jerry Jacobs (39)
• Starling Thomas V* (49)
• Steven Gilmore* (36)
• Khalil Dorsey (30)
• Colby Richardson (24)
• Emmanuel Moseley (4) — not eligible to play, on the PUP list

Hybrid DB/Slot (3)

• NB/S — Brian Branch* (32)
• CB/NB — Will Harris (25) — moved from outside corner to nickel this week
• NB/CB — Chase Lucas (36)

Safety (7)

• C.J. Gardner-Johnson (2)
• Kerby Joseph (31)
• Tracy Walker (21)
• Ifeatu Melifonwu (6)
• Saivion Smith (23)
• Brady Breeze (35)
• Brandon Joseph* (40)

Kicking team (4)

• P — Jack Fox (3)
• LS — Scott Daly (47)
• K — Riley Patterson (36) or Parker Romo (24)

Kick/Punt returners

• Punt return — Kalif Raymond (11)
• Kick return — Maurice Alexander (15) or Dylan Drummond (83) or Jahmyr Gibbs (26)

Kick coverage specialists

• Kickoffs — Riley Patterson (36) or Parker Romo (24)
• Holder — Jack Fox (3)
• Gunner — Starling Thomas (49) and Ifeatu Melifonwu (6)
• Personal protector (PP) — Jalen Reeves-Maybin (42) or Brady Breeze (35)

At-a-glance projected depth chart

If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s an at-a-glance look at what was discussed above: