The Detroit Lions are back from their bye week, and they open divisional play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. A lot changed for the Lions over the last week, and it shows up all over the depth chart. Some of it is on the offensive line, some of it is on special teams, and the biggest piece of it is in the secondary.

This is our projected Lions depth chart for Week 7. Let’s break it down.

Offense

The headline on offense is Cade Mays as the starting center. Lions coach Dan Campbell said on 97.1 The Ticket on Wednesday that Detroit is ripping the Band-Aid off and putting Mays out there.

That settles a debate that had been building for a while. Juice Scruggs has been the highest-graded center in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and he has played well. Because of that, there was some thought the Lions might rotate at center, with Mays in on some plays and Scruggs on others. Campbell said Detroit doesn’t want to do that. It’s Mays’ job.

So what does that mean for Scruggs? Some people think he could compete with Christian Mahogany at guard. I don’t see it. Mahogany is playing the best football of his career and is one of the highest-graded guards in the league. Tate Ratledge is playing well, too. There’s no room to move Scruggs around.

At this point, Scruggs is the backup center. Maybe he comes in on certain plays, but he’s not the starter right now. If Mays struggles, the Lions have a good player waiting behind him. That’s a great position to be in.

You’ll also notice DeAndre Carter in the slot. He’ll make his Lions debut Sunday. I don’t expect to see much of him on offense, though. Carter will be the punt returner and will also handle kick returns, replacing Tom Kennedy. We rarely saw Kennedy on offense this season, so Carter is likely a special teams player first. We’ll see if it works out.

Defense

The big news on defense is Brian Branch. He’s back, and I have no doubt he starts this game.

The question is who lines up opposite him. I’m going with the veteran, Chuck Clark. I do have Keith Abney right behind Clark, and I think the two will rotate, especially to slow down Packers tight end Tucker Kraft. Abney started against the Cardinals and did a good job bracketing in coverage to help limit Trey McBride. I expect Detroit to lean on that again.

At cornerback, I’m making a change. Ennis Rakestraw has played well in man coverage. Every time the Lions are in man, he handles it. I think it’s time to give him the start and pull off the Band-Aid again, just with a different player this time.

McCreary has his spots. He was targeted 16 times against Arizona, and he held up fairly well, but he still allowed eight to nine catches. I’d like to see what Rakestraw can do as a starter. It’s more than time to find out.

Green Bay throws deep, and you’re going to get burned at some point. There’s really nothing you can do about that. What you can do is have your best players on the field to limit the damage.

One name you won’t see is Myles Bryant. The Lions just signed the cornerback Thursday, so I doubt he’s active or elevated from the practice squad. If he had arrived during the bye week, maybe. As it stands, I don’t expect to see him until the Vikings game in Week 8, assuming Detroit doesn’t make a trade before the deadline.

Having Branch back is a big deal on its own. He’s incredibly versatile. He can play both safety spots, he can play in the nickel, and he can help in the run game.

More than anything, though, he lets everyone else focus on what they do well. Clark can play his game. Abney can play his. D.J. Reed and Rakestraw know Branch is over the top of them, and that lets them play with more confidence. That makes a world of difference.

Branch is good enough to lift this entire defense in a single game. I think this is the best depth chart the Lions have had all season. Let’s see where it goes against the Packers.

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