The Detroit Lions roster is stacked. That much is clear looking at the 91 players in training camp right now. Gone are the days of 2021 when maybe 10 guys were safe, and everybody else was fighting for their lives. The Lions’ 2025 training camp is the opposite. After going through all 91 players on the roster (91 because of Ahmed Hassanien’s international exemption), I came away with 44 players locked into making the 53-man roster. That leaves only nine spots open.

Locked In

Jared Goff

Teddy Bridgewater

Jahmyr Gibbs

Isaiah Pacheco

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Jameson Williams

Issac TeSlaa

Greg Dortch

Sam LaPorta

Brock Wright

Penei Sewell

Christian Mahogany

Cade Mays

Tate Ratledge

Blake Miller

Juice Scruggs

Miles Fraizer

Larry Borom

Aidan Hutchinson

Tyleik Williams

Alim McNeill

D.J. Wonnum

Derrick Moore

Tyler Lacy

Sklyer Gill-Howard

Ahmed Hassanien

Malcolm Rodriguez

Jimmy Rolder

Jack Campbell

Derrick Barnes

Rock Ya-Sin

Ennis Rakestraw

Nick Whiteside

D.J. Reed

Roger McCreary

Keith Abney

Kerby Joseph

Brian Branch

Christian Izien

Thomas Harper

Chuck Clark

Jake Bates

Hogan Hatten

Jack Fox

Think about that. You’ve got roughly 46 players fighting for nine spots. There is no room for mistakes. There’s no room for any sort of trouble, any sort of problems, any sort of anything. You want to make it, you have to almost be perfect.

So that begs the question: who are the nine? If I had to pick the guys fighting for that today, here’s where I stand.

Wide receiver Dominic Lovett

Lovett has looked better and better as the weeks have gone on. The return game belongs to Greg Dortch. That job is his to lose. So who’s going to be the other guy? Right now it looks like Lovett. He’s making plays in the return game, he can be a gunner, and he’s flashed on offense too. He’s in.

Tight ends Tyler Conklin and Jackson Meeks

I have Brock Wright as part of the 41 locked-in guys, but Detroit is going to want extra tight ends. Conklin fits what they want to do. He’s a really good blocker, and now that he’s healthy and on the field, we’re going to get to actually see what he looks like. Meeks is in because of the versatility, the hybrid receiver-tight end role. He’s getting better and better. I think the Lions look at him and say, we want to grow with that guy. Even if he doesn’t show he’s totally ready to do it this year, they still want to see where it goes.

Running back Jacob Saylors

A couple of weeks ago I would have had Sione Vaki here. But Vaki’s injury, the fact that Jahmyr Gibbs is back at practice, the fact that they signed Raheem Blackshear, all of it is adding up. I don’t know if Vaki’s injury problem is something they can just look the other way on anymore. It sucks because I really had high hopes for him. I bought in big time. At this point, I don’t know anymore.

Edge rusher Levi Onwuzurkie

He’s starting to look good, starting to show some stuff out there. I have Tyler Lacy ahead of him as part of the locked-in group, but Onwuzurkie is really starting to show it. I believe in what he’s got going on.

Linebacker Devin White

Look, he’s not the All-Pro, Pro Bowler that he used to be. But White still brings a lot in terms of veteran leadership and veteran presence. In the run game, he can be great for this team. I’m concerned about how he plays in coverage, but I think he’s going to earn a spot.

Cornerback Avonte Maddox

The only thing with Maddox is figuring out where he plays. He could play nickel, he could play slot cornerback, he could play safety. But so can Christian Izzian, Keith Abney, and Roger McCreary. It looks more and more like Ryan Branch and Kirby Joseph are going to be ready early in the season. You’ve got Thomas Harper, the veteran presence of Chuck Clark. So many other guys are kind of safer than Maddox right now, but I’m still adding him to the 12.

Special teamer Khalil Dorsey

Really good special teamer. He might be the best gunner in the league. I think that’s a reasonable thing to say, or he’s at least one of the best. You’re going to be happy you held on to him when your special teams unit looks good.

Defensive tackle Myles Adams

I like his run-stuffing ability. He could be that bottom-end-of-the-roster type who you’re happy to have around for goal-line sets and situations where you really need to stuff the run. The only big question is what he can do beyond that.

Linebacker Damone Clark

Good in coverage, good against the run. He’s had some injury issues in the past, but when healthy he’s looked really good. Detroit isn’t in a spot where they need to rely on his health, so you take what you can get out of him.

Edge rusher Anthony Lucas

The undrafted free agent is someone the Lions want to stash on the 53-man roster. You might not see him play at all this year, but if he can develop into the player they think he is, he’s going to be really good.

Running back Sione Vaki

He’s a good special teamer. I just think his running back days are probably over. Lions fans aren’t going to be happy about that. They traded up to get him. Let’s just call the 2024 draft what it is at this point. It was a bad year. But they still got some useful stuff out of it.

Those are the 12 right now. Nobody beyond the locked-in 41 is safe. Even some of those guys I’m looking at like, maybe you’re not the safest dudes in the world. If you’re not in this 12, you need to find a way to get yourself in it. We’ll see where things go.