Lions' way-too-early 53-man roster projection
The 2023 NFL Draft has finally come to a close for the Detroit Lions. From draft picks to undrafted free agents, the roster and it's projections are going to look a little different. The Lions have done well to find plenty of quality players to compete for roles down the road, and the battles in […]
The 2023 NFL Draft has finally come to a close for the Detroit Lions. From draft picks to undrafted free agents, the roster and it's projections are going to look a little different.
The Lions have done well to find plenty of quality players to compete for roles down the road, and the battles in training camp will play a massive part in defining what this team will look like.
With all that being said, let's take a look at where the Lions project to start the season. Note: Players with single asterisk (*) are 2023 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2023 undrafted free agents.
Quarterback (3)
IN: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker*, Nate Sudfeld
OUT:
The skinny: Nothing crazy here. The Lions have their Pro Bowl quarterback, a developmental piece for the future in Hendon Hooker, and a proven backup that already has spent a year with the team.
Running back (5)
IN: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs*, Craig Reynolds, Jermar Jefferson, Jason Cabinda (FB)
OUT: D'Andre Swift, Greg Bell
The skinny: Another very straight-forward room for the Lions. Swift is out, meaning Montgomery and Gibbs are going to get a mountain of touches in 2023 with guys like Reynolds and Jefferson to serve as brief rotational guys as needed.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Marvin Jones, Jr., Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, Maurice Alexander
OUT: Tom Kennedy, Trinity Benson, Antoine Green*
The skinny: The start of the year may look a little different to account for the loss of Jameson Williams for six games, but this should be the core of the six guys they lean on as they look to make a playoff run.
Tight end (3)
IN: Sam LaPorta*, Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra
OUT: James Mitchell, Derrick Deese Jr.
The skinny: The Lions may like to carry four tight ends, but going heavy at running back and wide receiver is going to lead to some cuts somewhere. LaPorta is going to get a lot of touches if the Lions use him in the right way, so this room might be more top-heavy than expected.
Offensive line (9)
IN: Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Penei Sewell, Colby Sorsdal*, Graham Glasgow, Matt Nelson, Logan Stenberg
OUT: Ross Pierschbacher, Obinna Eze, Darrin Paulo, Kayode Awosika
The skinny: The starters here haven't changed much. The Lions like their top five and don't even need to see a shift here, and the depth has gotten better with the return of a veteran face and the addition of a steal of the draft in Colby Sorsdal.
Defensive line (5)
IN: John Cominsky, Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal, Isaiah Buggs
OUT: Brodric Martin*, Benito Jones, Demetrius Taylor
The skinny: The Lions really need consistency out of this group. Based on what we have seen so far, Detroit could still use some more help, but this is where it looks like this could go as of now. Martin was a fun pick in the third round, but his lack of athleticism is going to make this reach a little tough for the Lions to make work.
Outside linebacker/Edge (7)
IN: Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, James Houston, Charles Harris, Malcolm Rodriguez, Julian Okwara, Romeo Okwara
OUT: Anthony Pittman
The skinny: Have to go heavy here knowing rookie Jack Campbell is likely to wear the green dot and dominate in the middle. The Lions have their veteran mixed with guys that are still on favorable rookie deals and need this unit to dominate in 2023 to turn around the defensive woes of the past.
Inside linebacker (2)
IN: Jack Campbell*, Derrick Barnes
OUT: Jalen Reeves-Maybin
The skinny: Don't need a lot of crazy here. Campbell is going to be the guy on the field for most of the game after the Lions selected him so early and Barnes is a good insurance policy.
Cornerback (6)
IN: Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, C.J. Gardner Johnson, Jerry Jacobs, Jarren Williams, Will Harris
OUT: Saivion Smith, Khalil Dorsey, Chase Lucas
The skinny: There are going to be a lot of guys that look like overall DBs for the Lions with players like Gardner-Johnson and Brian Branch headlining the positionless players, but six corners feels right to give the team the opportunity to play the hot hand every week.
Safety (4)
IN: Tracy Walker, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch*, Ifeatu Melifonwu
OUT: Brady Breeze
The skinny: This unit stands to gain the most from having extra time to grow as a group. There is a good chance that all four of these guys will see plenty of time on the field in 2023.
Special Teams (3)
IN: Jack Fox, Michael Badgley, Scott Daly
OUT: Jake McQuaide
The skinny: It's almost funny that the Lions have two long snappers on their roster. The top three are basically set in stone short of some major collapse.
