The Detroit Lions open their season against the New Orleans Saints in just a few days, and the Week 1 depth chart is starting to take shape. From the left guard competition to the edge rusher rotation opposite Aidan Hutchinson, there are real decisions to be made on both sides of the ball. Let’s break it down. We’re going to do a weekly depth chart projection this season.

Lions offense

The biggest storyline on the offensive side is left guard. Coach Dan Campbell said earlier in the week that Christian Mahogany and Ben Bartch would fight it out for the starting spot, with the winner being determined by the end of the week. There was even the possibility that Detroit might rotate both guys in and out for Week 1.

I don’t think the Lions ultimately do that. Campbell even said himself he doesn’t want to go that route. I think Bartch wins this job. Campbell and the Lions have been waiting for Bartch to get healthy, because I think they really like him in that spot. When you saw him there in training camp, and even though the sample size was small, or in the preseason game he played, you could see it. This guy is pretty good.

The thing for Bartch has always been injuries. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, hasn’t been able to stay on the field. But I see the vision. He’s a mauler. He’s just good. He’s a good left guard, and I think Detroit is making the right decision by starting him if they go this route.

Not to say that I think Mahogany is a bust or anything, or that he isn’t good. I just think in terms of pass blocking, run blocking, and being balanced, Bartch is the better option over Mahogany, who is a really good run blocker but struggles in the pass blocking department. That’s why I believe Bartch is the starter for Week 1.

Lions defense

On the defensive side, Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox will start at the safety spots. Devin White gets the nod at Will linebacker, Jack Campbell in the middle, and Derrick Barnes at Sam. DJ Reed and Rock Ya-Sin are the outside cornerbacks, with Christian Izien starting in the nickel.

On the edges, Aidan Hutchinson is locked in on one side, but I have DJ Wonnum on the other. The reason is simple. I think the Lions view Wonnum as a more complete edge rusher than Derrick Moore at this point. Wonnum is pretty good against the run, and he’s really good at taking advantage of one-on-one opportunities. Just go look at what he did with Danielle Hunter when he was on the Minnesota Vikings. He just ate, because he knew how to capitalize on the opportunities given to him.

You put Wonnum out there as a starter and let Moore grow off the bench. I’m sure Moore will get plenty of opportunities on third downs and passing situations, and he’ll get a chance to develop his run-stopping ability. Honestly, I don’t think Moore is that far off when it comes to stopping the run, so he’s in the right spot to keep developing.

In the middle, you have Tyleik Williams and Alim McNeill as the starters, with guys like Skyler Gill-Howard rotating in. Some of the big ends will come in and do their thing as well.

We’ll see what happens on the field

That’s what we’ve got for the Lions’ projected depth chart heading into Week 1 against New Orleans. We’ll see what it looks like when they actually hit the field, but this is what we think it’s going to look like.