The Detroit Lions have finished their final cuts, and now it’s time to take a look at what their initial 53-man roster looks like. Keep in mind that this is not the end for the Lions. They still have three open roster spots. There’s the waiver wire period for cuts around the league, and then they’re likely to make some moves in free agency as well. But this is what we have so far:

Quarterback (2)

• Jared Goff
• Kyle Allen

No shocker here. The writing was on the wall for Hendon Hooker after the final preseason game of the year, and Kyle Allen won the backup job in the Lions’ second preseason game of the summer. They’re probably not likely to add another guy for a third QB on the roster, but they should be expected to at least entertain the idea of adding one to the practice squad.

Running back (4)

• Jahymr Gibbs
• David Montgomery
• Sione Vaki
• Craig Reynolds

The easiest position to figure out all summer long. There was no running back that was going to come in and get a roster spot over these four. The only question now is how much the Lions will lean into trying Vaki more this year?

Wide Receiver (6)

• Amon-Ra St. Brown
• Jameson Williams
• Isaac TeSlaa
• Tim Patrick
• Kalif Raymond
• Dominic Lovett

The first real surprise of the summer is Lovett getting in over Jackson Meeks. It seemed the latter had earned that role through the summer and preseason. Now the Lions have to wait to see if he clears waivers so they can get him back on their practice squad. At the end of the day, Lovett’s special teams ability won over in the end.

Tight End (3)

• Sam LaPorta
• Brock Wright
• Shane Zylstra

Another spot where the Lions might take a look outside of the building. They talked to multiple tight ends leading up to the draft, signed two in free agency, and met with others. I’m not sure they have what they’re looking for at this point. A lot of decent blocking tight ends have hit the market this week.

Offensive Line (9)

• Taylor Decker
• Graham Glasgow
• Christian Mahogany
• Tate Ratledge
• Penei Sewell
• Giovanni Manu
• Kayode Awosika
• Kinsley Eguakun
• Jamarco Jones

Dan Skipper being gone and Jamarco Jones making the roster might seem like a surprise, but Skipper struggled this summer, and Jones played better. Outside of that, there’s not really any surprises here. The big question is whether or not Graham Glasgow can go Week 1.

Defensive Line (9)

• Aidan Hutchinson
• DJ Reader
• Mekhi Wingo
• Al-Quadin Muhammad
• Roy Lopez
• Tyleik Williams
• Marcus Davenport
• Pat O’Connor
• Chris Smith

Another one where we might be waiting to see what the Lions are going to do when it comes to the waiver wire and guys who got cut. We’re also going to have to wait and find out if the Lions are going to bring back Za’Darius Smith ahead of Week 1. Still, cutting Nate Lynn just seems crazy.

Linebacker (6)

• Alex Anzalone
• Derrick Barnes
• Jack Campbell
• Grant Stuard
• Trevor Nowaske
• Zach Cunningham

This one turned out exactly like everyone thought it would. This is such a good group and might be the best linebacker corps in the NFL. If not the top, then top five for sure. We’re really interested to see how much time Zach Cunningham gets on defense. He is a sure tackler.

Cornerback (5)

• D.J. Reed
• Terrion Arnold
• Amik Robertson
• Rock Ya-Sin
• Khalil Dorsey

Just five cornerbacks to start, but this is one of the positions to watch far when it comes to the Lions looking around at players who got cut. There’s just not a lot of depth here, and there hasn’t been all summer. That’s even with Dorsey back in Detroit.

Safety (3)

• Kerby Joseph
• Brian Branch
• Avonte Maddox

Surprisingly, the Lions went with no safeties beyond these three guys. This is another position to keep an eye on.

Special Teams (3)

• Jake Bates
• Jack Fox
• Hogan Hatten

Injured Reserve, PUP, and NFI lists

• IR: Ennis Rakestraw
• IR: Colby Sorsdal
• IR: Kenny Yeboah
• IR: Justin Herron
• IR: Dan Jackson

• Reserve/PUP: Levi Onwuzurike

• Reserve/PUP: Miles Frazier
• Reserve/PUP: Alim McNeill
• Reserve/PUP: Malcolm Rodriguez

• Reserve/NFI: Josh Paschal

Detroit Lions News

Brad Holmes deserves some props for the way things went with the Lions and Hendon Hooker and Brodric Martin

He’s still the guy

Mike Payton