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The Detroit Lions will have a lot of pressure to replicate what was an incredibly successful season on offense last year. Despite all of that success, there are quite a few roster changes made over the offseason, including an overhaul of the running backs room, and the addition of two rookie weapons in the first three picks.
There are also some new names when it comes to the depth of the offense, and as the Lions front office must trim the roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, they face some difficult decisions.
All of training camp, we’ve been offering our week-by-week predictions for the players on the roster bubble, but now it’s time to make our final choices. Here is a look at our final roster bubble predictions for the players on offense (our analysis of each position is under the chart):
Final Roster Bubble Watch: Offense
| Player | Jeremy Reisman | Erik Schlitt | Ryan Mathews | Hamza | Alex Reno | John Whiticar | Morgan Cannon | TOTAL | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Jeremy Reisman | Erik Schlitt | Ryan Mathews | Hamza | Alex Reno | John Whiticar | Morgan Cannon | TOTAL | CHANGE |
| QB Nate Sudfeld | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| RB Benny Snell | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| RB Jermar Jefferson | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | -1 |
| RB Craig Reynolds | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 7 | 0 |
| FB Jason Cabinda | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | IN | 5 | +1 |
| WR Antoine Green | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 7 | +1 |
| WR Trinity Benson | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| WR Maurice Alexander | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| WR Dylan Drummond | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 7 | +3 |
| WR Chase Cota | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | -4 |
| OT Matt Nelson | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | IN | 5 | +1 |
| OT Obinna Eze | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| OT Germain Ifedi | OUT | IN | IN | IN | OUT | IN | IN | 5 | -1 |
| G Colby Sorsdal | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 7 | 0 |
| G Kayode Awosika | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | -1 |
| G Darrin Paulo | OUT | OUT | OUT | OIT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
Quarterback
- Nate Sudfeld: 0 “IN” votes (no change)
After suffering an injury that coach Dan Campbell suggested could take some time to heal from, there is no longer much mystery in what the Lions will do here. Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater are the team’s two quarterbacks, and there won’t be a third (yet).
Running back
- Craig Reynolds: 7 votes (no change)
- Jermar Jefferson: 0 votes (down 1)
- Benny Snell: 0 votes (no change)
Craig Reynolds has been the first running back in for each of the last preseason games and has performed well enough to earn the coaching staff’s trust.
“Craig has not changed one bit. He’s just steady,” Campbell said after Friday’s game. “He just handles his business, he knows what he’s doing, we have a lot of trust in him, and he’s just a reliable player.”
Jefferson’s injury sunk his chances late, and while Benny Snell has looked okay and has a deep special teams history, Detroit barely gave him any run in the preseason, and he seems likely to make it through waivers considering he was available to sign just a couple weeks ago.
Tight end/fullback
- Jason Cabinda: 5 votes (up 1)
Cabinda played in just six offensive snaps and two special teams snaps on Friday. Is that a sign he’s safe or just the opposite? At this point, the Lions don’t appear to be preparing any other player to play fullback, but Cabinda’s play has been inconsistent. Still, as someone the Lions trust to play special teams, Cabinda seems relatively safe.
Wide receiver
- Antoine Green: 7 votes (up 1)
- Dylan Drummond: 7 votes (up 3)
- Chase Cota: 0 votes (down 4)
- Maurice Alexander: 0 votes (no change)
- Trinity Benson: 0 votes (no change)
Our staff has converged into a single opinion: the Lions will keep six receivers and the last two in are rookies Antoine Green and Dylan Drummond.
It’s easy to see how we came to this conclusion. Drummond has been the most consistent reserve for all of the preseason and he finished strong with a few good catches and first down conversions. As for Green, the team’s seventh-round pick, he slowly got better as camp went on, and he punctuated the preseason with a 70-yard touchdown that flashed all of his athletic talent. Both are capable special teamers, too.
Unfortunately, Chase Cota struggled in the preseason finale with two “drops,” including one for a potential touchdown. Not all hope is lost, though, as Cota did play 14 special teams snaps—more than any other receiver on Friday—and that could make a big difference.
Offensive tackle
- Germain Ifedi: 5 votes (down 1)
- Matt Nelson: 5 votes (up 1)
- Obinna Eze: 0 vote (down 1)
The Lions went back to having Nelson at left tackle and Ifedi at right tackle, making it hard to say which player has the edge over the other. Obviously, our staff is split. Two of us picked Nelson, two of us picked Ifedi, and three of us picked Detroit to carry both offensive tackles. This is one of the tougher positions to predict.
Guard/Center
- Colby Sorsdal: 7 votes (no change)
- Kayode Awosika: 0 vote (down 1)
- Darrin Paulo: 0 votes (no change)
Despite the reserve offensive line playing much better in the preseason finale, our staff has chosen to just carry two reserve interior offensive linemen: the loser of the Halapoulivaati Vaitai/Graham Glasgow starting competition and rookie Colby Sorsdal. That may feel a little thin, but Detroit could probably fit any of these players on the practice squad if they want to.
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