The Detroit Lions initial 53 man roster is out and it's definitely unconventional. The Lions are only carrying two running backs for crying out loud. 

There's multiple ways to look at this. Either the Lions are playing a game that will allow them to shift things around before they just bring Craig Reynolds back, or the Lions are planning to make some moves. I think it's either the latter or a shade of both. 

I think the Lions may enter the trade market and I think the Lions make be prepared to cut players or move them down to their practice squad. Here's three guys that aren't safe after cutdowns and could wind up traded, released or sent down to the practice squad. 

Romeo Okwara

The Lions went into the 2022 season with 10 defensive linemen. This year they’re going in with 12? I don’t think so. The Lions need a lot of things, seven edge rushers isn’t one of them. That could make Romeo Okwara the odd man out in all of this. There’s a solod chance that the Lions might look to trade him. He’s a cheap option that can rush the passer. Teams should be interested. 

If the Lions go in like this, he's got at least five guys in front of him right now. There's a better chance for playing time out there and the Lions could do right by him if they traded him to one of those places. 

Khalil Dorsey

Dorsey earned the right to stay with the Lions and he should. The problem is that the Lion have seven cornerbacks and he’s number seven. When the Lions get done making whatever moves it is that they might make, he could find himself on the Lions practice squad. That’s not a horrible thing though. Lions practice squad guys get elevated quite a bit for one reason or another. He could definitely wind up seeing the field in 2023. As for now, the Lions could use that roster spot for a different purpose. 

Riley Patterson

This is an easy one. We already know that the Lions are looking for another kicker right now. Once they find one, there’s a good chance that they will release Patterson. Not just because he didn’t work out for the team, but because the Lions traded a conditional seventh round pick for him. The condition of that pick was that Patterson had to make the Lions roster. Releasing him would give them that pick back. 

Detroit Lions practice squad tracker

The Detroit Lions will complete their cuts at 4:00 on Tuesday. Then things will shift a bit for the team as they begin to sign players to their practice squad. That should start as early as Wednesday.  The practice squad is different these days. Last year the NFL allowed teams to have 12 players on […]

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