The Detroit Lions’ second preseason game carried more weight than most fans probably realize. The new NFL cutdown rules mean there are only 3 practices and 1 preseason game left before rosters drop to 53, and that cutdown day arrives less than 24 hours after the final preseason game. That timeline makes Saturday’s contest against the Washington Commanders feel like a referendum for a lot of players on the bubble.

I keep bringing this up, and I get it, I’m beating this horse to death. But I think we’re there. I’m almost ready to print my final 53-man roster projection before the preseason is even over. So let’s break down the winners and losers from Saturday’s game.

Winners

Quarterback Luke Altmyer

Altmyer really surprised me. When the Lions picked him up as an undrafted free agent, I figured his ceiling was maybe convincing Detroit to carry 3 quarterbacks. Then Teddy Bridgewater retires, and suddenly Altmyer is getting all the second-team reps because the Lions didn’t have anybody else. Josh Dobbs has been here less than 2 weeks, and in that time Altmyer has shown you can comfortably put him out there.

I’m not saying Altmyer is Brock Purdy. Fans need to temper their expectations. I still believe the Lions will look for another quarterback once cutdowns happen, grab whoever shakes loose on the market, and maybe go with 3 quarterbacks while keeping Altmyer as that QB3. It might be a tad risky putting him on the open market and hoping he clears to the practice squad. But the offense has run so smooth with him in there, much smoother than it did with Dobbs. If you had asked me the first week or two, I would have said he wasn’t going to make it. I never wrote his name down in my notebook. Nothing popped off the page. Since then, a lot has popped off the page. He’s still got a ways to go, and we’ll see in the next week what that means for the Lions. Trial by fire, or do they want to wait? I don’t know.

Tight end Jackson Meeks

Meeks had his best game at the position. The Lions just started this experiment this year. He’d never played tight end before, and Saturday he was everywhere: 5 catches, 33 yards, making big plays. Then at the end of the game on special teams, he forces a fumble that essentially ended it. All Detroit had to do was grab a first down, kneel a few times, and that was that. Had Meeks not forced that fumble, maybe Washington has an opportunity to go down, score, take the lead, and win. That goes a long way with the Sam LaPorta situation, because we don’t know how serious that injury is, how much time he’s going to miss, or if he’ll miss any regular season time at all. I think the LaPorta situation opens the door for Meeks to get onto the 53-man roster. Even if LaPorta was ready for the season, you have to think about it. At the same time, Meeks almost feels more like a 2027 thing than a 2026 thing because he needs reps and time on task as a tight end. But you can see it’s starting to work. I don’t think there was a single reporter who didn’t write about Jackson Meeks on Saturday.

Running back Trayveon Williams

He stood out in a running back 3 battle that is incredibly hard to figure out. There’s Williams, Jacob Saylors, Sione Vaki, Raheem Blackshear, Jabari Small. They’re all playing at the highest level they can play. I feel like it’s Saylors at this point, and that makes all the sense in the world, but Williams came out and killed it. Big runs, doing well in the receiving game, blocking well. He’s still relatively new to the team after the Lions brought him in when Kye Robichaux got hurt. He’s a veteran who’s been in the league for a little while, and he really showed what he could do.

Wide receiver Tay Martin

He might draw criticism for dropping 2 big catch opportunities, one of which was a sure explosive touchdown. I don’t fully blame him, and I know Lions coach Dan Campbell didn’t fully blame him either. But go back and watch that Josh Dobbs 50-yard touchdown. The guy who makes that play happen, besides Dobbs and his legs, is Martin. The block he laid gave the Lions 7 points. He helped create a penalty on Washington on special teams. He just keeps showing up. I have him on my 53-man roster. I think the Lions probably will too.

Edge rusher D.J. Wonnum

Wonnum played his first game for the Lions and recorded 2 sacks. Only one counted because a defensive holding penalty wiped out the other, and the flag wasn’t even close to the play. It didn’t affect Wonnum getting that second sack at all. The Lions need somebody across from Aidan Hutchinson who can disrupt and take advantage of one-on-one opportunities. If Wonnum is doing this without Hutchinson on the field, that’s a pretty good sign he can do real damage with Hutchinson.

Edge rusher Derrick Moore

The rookie is still figuring it out, but the talent is screaming at you. He recorded a sack-fumble Saturday. The Lions couldn’t recover, but it basically killed that drive. Once Moore figures out how to stay on the field by becoming a reliable run defender to complement his pass rushing, the sky’s the limit. I don’t think that happens this year. It’s going to take time, and he’ll get plenty of opportunities. He’s going to play a lot in his rookie year. I just don’t see him as the starter yet because Wonnum can do more than one thing, and that matters to the Lions.

Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw

He deserves credit for even suiting up Saturday. On Thursday he went down with a non-contact injury, and everyone kind of freaked out because your mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario. It turned out to be an ankle injury, and Rakestraw was able to play. He didn’t do anything that jumps off the film, but he also didn’t get burned. Some good coverage, tackled well, and did all the things he was trying to do.

Losers

Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw

He lands here too, because he’s in both categories. Is it a little too good, too late? It’s been up and down all summer. He got hurt in the first preseason game, had some good days and bad days, then this week everything was trending up before the injury scare. He only played in the second half Saturday because D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin played the entire first half with the starters. That’s half a game against the best competition he could have faced, with the best teammates, gone. The Lions have D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside, Khalil Dorsey, Roger McCreary, Keith Abney, and Christian Izien. Are they carrying 8 cornerbacks? I don’t know if I can put Rakestraw over Dorsey right now. Dorsey stays healthy, plays really good special teams, and could hold his own on defense. I just don’t know how Rakestraw makes it.

Quarterback Josh Dobbs

Dobbs has had a weird time in Detroit. He’s been here less than 2 weeks, and the Lions are not doing anything with him. At practice, 95 to 96% of the second-team snaps go to Altmyer. Dobbs comes in for maybe a series. He got to start Saturday, and on his first dropback he gets sacked and fumbles. Washington picks it up in the end zone for a touchdown. On his second drive, he throws a terrible interception, forcing a throw across his body that he should never have attempted. He did run for a 50-yard touchdown, so there’s some give and take. But the Lions clearly feel way more comfortable with Altmyer, and I don’t see Dobbs making this team.

Center Seth McLaughlin

The former Rimington winner had me thinking we might get a fun story about a third-string center finding his way onto the starting lineup. I don’t think that’s happening. He allowed a sack in his first game against Cincinnati, then allowed another against Washington on Saturday, plus a false start. It really should have been 2 false starts on him, but for some reason Lions offensive lineman Miles Frazier got called for the other one. Juice Scruggs was in with the first team, and you can see he’s so much better at it. I’ve had McLaughlin on my 53-man roster, but now I’m starting to think he’s a practice squad guy. He hasn’t been horrible, but he’s not as good as Scruggs. It’s as simple as that.

Running back Sione Vaki

Vaki is unfortunately hurt again. He was dealing with back spasms and back issues, and the Lions made the call not to play him Saturday, even though it’s minor according to Campbell. He didn’t play in the first preseason game, didn’t play in the second one. Yes, he practiced all week and got some second-team and even first-team reps, but he’s behind the eight ball. Saylors has looked good. Blackshear has looked good. Williams just had a big game. I think the Lions will ultimately put Vaki on the roster because he’s a good special teams player. But the injury issues and missed reps have me at a point where I can’t confidently say he makes this team. We thought he’d be a lock at RB3 coming into the summer. Now I don’t know. We’ll see where things go.

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