It seems like there's a surprise cut or two from every team in the NFL every August. The Detroit Lions move in that same circle every season. There's always a guy or two that you thought would make the roster and then they don't.

In 2022 it was C.J. Moore and AJ Parker. Both had decent 2021 seasons and it felt like they had done enough in the previous season and camp to find spots on the team. That didn't happen. While Moore did eventually return and then get released for betting on NFL games, Parker is now with the 49ers. 

This is bound to happen again in 2023. The Lions will cut some guys you thought were set to make the roster. Since it's a bit early int he process and camp doesn't start for another few weeks now, think of this piece as a part one. We'll come back midway through and try to predict again. Here's three pre-camp selections that could surprisingly be on the cut list.

Romeo Okwara

Okwara led the team in sacks in 2020 and wound up getting a new deal out of it. For a minute there, Okwara looked like he was going t be an anchor on the Lions defensive line. Either that or he would at least be a guy that could put up numbers opposite whoever that anchor wound up being. 

Unfortunately Okwara has only played nine games since that 2020 season. He should be ready to come back at full health this summer and give it all he has, but the issue is that the Lions have a lot of talent along the edge right now. Some of these younger guys liek James Houston and Josh Paschal could wind up moving him out of his spot and making him more expendable. If the Lions go out and do something like trade for Chase Young, then Okwara could really be in trouble.

The biggest reason this might be a surprise is that the Lions just worked out a deal with Okwara that included him taking a pay cut to stay in Detroit. 

Brock Wright 

There might be some push back involved here and I get it. Brock Wright had a couple highlight plays in 2022. Specially his big touchdown against the Jets that gave the Lions the lead late in the game. Outside of stuff like that, Wright didn't play much of a role in Detroit last season. Not as big as you'd think. 

He's now in a position where he has rookie Sam LaPorta and a fully healthy James Mitchell in front of him. The Lions will obviously carry more than two tight ends, but Wright might not be one of the other ones the Lions bring along. 

While Shane Zylstra lacked in the blocking department in 2022, he's shown that he can be an apt blocker at other times in his career. Wright hasn't really done that. Zylstra might also be the better pass catcher too. 

This one could end up being dead wrong and that's perfectly ok. I just don't see how Wright stands out enough to definitively guarantee a roster spot right now. 

Craig Reynolds

 I've made no bones about this in the past. I think undrafted rookie Mohamed Ibrahim has everything you could want to fit what this unit wants to do in 2023. It's hard to ignore. 

It's not just Ibrahim. Jermar Jefferson has only gotten better as time has gone on. He looked nice at OTA's and mandatory mini camp. The deck is a bit stacked against Reynolds right now. 

While he has been a great story, he's coming off a struggle of a season in 2022. Reynolds missed some time and when he was on the field, he only put up 102 yards for the season. 

He's going to have put in some serious work to make sure he keeps his spot on this team. The problem for him is that other guys are also putting in serious work and they might be better fits. 

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