Dan Campbell just identified the Lions’ most significant roster battle, and the math is brutal
Detroit has veterans, young players and raw talent fighting for limited spots up front, and keeping an extra defensive lineman would force a sacrifice somewhere else.
The Detroit Lions defensive line room is shaping up to be the most competitive position battle heading into final roster cuts. Detroit coach Dan Campbell offered a telling response when asked which positions remain up in the air, and it sure sounds like the Lions’ defensive line is where the toughest decisions will be made. With cut day looming after the final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have some serious math to work out along the defensive front.
When asked about the roster spots still in flux, the first thing Campbell said was this:
“The D-line room is— that one is— I mean, that can go any way right now. It really can. I mean, there’s a number of guys in there. The hard thing is you can’t keep all those guys. You just can’t, not without it hurting the rest of your roster. And there’s some good players in there, and there’s some veterans, there’s some young guys, there’s raw talent, there’s— but there’s, there’s things in there that you really like, and that thing is up in the air right now in a number of spots.”
You can totally understand why when you look at this Lions defensive line right now.
The edge is stacked
Start on the edges. There’s Aidan Hutchinson, Derrick Moore, DJ Wonnum, Ahmed Hassanein, and then the young guys: Eric O’Neill, Anthony Lucas, Payton Turner (who’s been dealing with some injuries), and Tyre West. That’s eight guys. Realistically, you could probably keep four of them: Hutchinson, Moore, Wonnum, and Hassanein.
Then you go to the interior. There’s Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Skyler Gill-Howard, Tyler Lacy, Levi Onwuzurike, Myles Adams, Chris Smith, Mekhi Wingo, and Ben Stille. I don’t know where you go. The interior is much harder.
How many defensive linemen can the Lions actually keep?
Right now, I’m building out my final 53-man roster projection for the Lions. I’ve got them carrying nine defensive linemen. That is the most Detroit is keeping at any position. There’s certainly a possibility they could go to 10, because when I look at some of the guys on the fringe, the picture gets complicated.
I know the Lions like Onwuzurike, and there’s reason to think he could make it. I have him on my current roster. But I also know they like Stille, the new guy. He’s been showing up at practice every day, doing his thing. He’s not a big playmaker, but he’s a solid run stuffer off the bench in the middle. Campbell has brought up Miles Adams on multiple occasions. O’Neill is an edge rusher who keeps getting mentioned by special teams coaches. What do you do? How many of these guys are you going to keep?
If it were me, I’m keeping Hutchinson, McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Moore, Wonnum, Hassanein, Gill-Howard, Lacy, Onwuzurike, and Stille. Those are my 10.
The ripple effect across the roster
Here’s the thing. When you start getting to 10 defensive linemen, you have to go look at other positions. I also have the Lions with seven cornerbacks, and some people have them with eight to get Rakestraw onto the roster. I just don’t see it. Maybe you go with five linebackers. I have six right now. Maybe you go three tight ends. Right now I have four. You can’t go any lower at receiver. You can’t go any lower at running back. You probably can’t carry three quarterbacks, so somebody’s getting cut there.
I just don’t know what you do. This is going to be a hard decision.
Campbell said a few weeks ago that this might be the deepest roster he’s ever had, and I have a hard time disagreeing with that. I know some Lions fans might not believe that or feel that way because there are no massive superstars across the board. Detroit didn’t go out and sign the big edge rusher, didn’t trade for Vita Vea or any of that stuff some fans wanted. None of that was ever realistic. But the Lions have a bunch of guys capable of a lot of different things. There’s a ton of versatility here. Lacy could play on the edge or inside. Hassanein could do the same. Gill-Howard has some pass rush juice, and Campbell said some stuff about him that certainly pointed to the idea he’s making the team. Onwuzurike is versatile as well. Stille might be the only guy you look at and say he does one thing, but I think the Lions would want him for that one thing.
By the end of this week, we’ll know for the most part who Detroit is going with. Cut day hits right after Sunday’s game against the Colts. By 6 p.m. ET, the Lions have to have this team down to at least 53 players. We’ll see what it looks like.
Detroit Lions News