Lions' Week 1 depth chart projection at the start of camp
The Detroit Lions are back at camp and we are six weeks away from the Lions taking the field at Arrowhead stadium to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Who's going to take the field that day and what will the depth chart look like? This year I want to try […]
The Detroit Lions are back at camp and we are six weeks away from the Lions taking the field at Arrowhead stadium to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Who's going to take the field that day and what will the depth chart look like?
This year I want to try something new and try to figure that out. Here's what I'm going to do. Today I'm going to post my initial projection for the Lions depth chart for Week 1. I will then post an updated projection every Monday until the Lions put out their actual depth chart.
I'll be taking a lot of things into account. Things like guys rising and falling in camp, preseason game performances and simply looking at things the Lions are trying at camp. With all that said, here's my initial projection on what the Lions depth chart could look like Week 1.
| Position | Starter | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterback | Jared Goff | Nate Sudfeld | Hendon Hooker | |
Running Back | David Montgomery | Jahmyr Gibbs | Justin Jackson | Mohamed Ibrahim |
Left Wide Receiver | Josh Reynolds | Denzel Mims | ||
Slot Receiver | Amon-Ra St. Brown | Kalif Raymond | ||
Right Wide Receiver | Mavin Jones | |||
Tight End | Sam LaPorta | James Mitchell | Brock Wright | |
Left Tackle | Taylor Decker | Germain Ifedi | ||
Left Guard | Jonah Jackson | Logan Stenberg | ||
Center | Frank Ragnow | |||
Right Guard | Graham Glasgow | Halapoulivaati Vaitai | ||
Right Tackle | Penei Sewell | Colby Sorsdal |
A couple things probably stand out here. Jameson Williams is not on here for obvious reasons. He'll be at the start of his six game suspension. So much like 2022, the Lions will start the season with five receivers and then go to six once Williams is available again.
Craig Reynolds is not here. Ultimately I think Justin Jackson is a shoe in to make the roster due to his kick return ability. I think Ibrahim brings more to the table than Reynolds does in terms of short yard and goal line situations.
The Offensive line is kind of a toss. I think Graham Glasgow can win that right guard role in the end. The history he has with Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow is too good to ignore. Rookie Colby Sorsdal is listed as a right tackle here, but I think he'll probably transition towards guard more as the season progresses.
Defense
| Position | Starter | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Defensive End | John Cominsky | Josh Paschal | ||
Nose Tackle | Isaiah Buggs | Brodric Martin | ||
Defensive Tackle | Alim McNeil | Levi Onwuzurike | ||
Edge | Aidan Hutchinson | Romeo Okwara | Charles Harris | |
Weakside Linebacker | Derrick Barnes | Malcolm Rodriguez | Jalen Reeves-Maybin | |
Middle Linebacker | Jack Campbell | Alex Anzalone | ||
Sam Linebacker | James Houston | Julian Okwara | ||
Left Cornerback | Jerry Jacobs | Emmanuel Moseley | ||
Strong Safety | Kerby Joseph | Savion Smith | ||
Free Safety | Tracy Walker | Brandon Joseph | ||
Right Cornerback | Cameron Sutton | Will Harris | ||
Nickel | C.J. Gardner-Johnson | Brian Branch |
Ok, I made some decisions here and I feel pretty good about them. Jerry Jacobs will take the number two corner spot from Emmanuel Moseley. That's not to say that Moseley will bust in Detroit. I think he'll get plenty of playing time, I just think that Jacobs is ready for it.
Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes working the middle could be a ton of fun and I think time will show that this will be the setup. Barnes has been getting rave reviews since OTA's and Campbell has too. Alex Anzalone will still be the guy that everyone leans on, but I think his role in the lineup will shrink just a bit. Don't be surprised to see him and Campbell trade places during the early season while Campbell get's adjusted.
Brandon Joseph joins Mohamed Ibrahim as the only two undrafted free agents to make the 53 man roster. I think Joseph could fit in perfectly as a replacement for C.J. Moore. A safety that's really helpful on special teams.
Special Teams
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
Punter | Jack Fox |
Kicker | Parker Romo |
Long Snapper | Jake McQuaide |
Jack Fox isn't going anywhere. No surprise there. Parker Romo seems to be the clubhouse leader for the kicker job right now. The release of Michael Badgley will certainly help his cause. As for long snapper, You can't bet against the new guy Jake McQuaide. He's a Pro Bowler at the position.
Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK