Come Thursday, we’ll be just two weeks away from watching the Lions in their first preseason game.
Detroit’s participation in the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game will give the team a fourth exhibition to evaluate its players during what’s sure to be a doozy of a training camp, with very few spots available on a Super Bowl-contending roster.
In the interest of monitoring how things evolve over the next month and a half, we’re kicking off our training camp preview series with a 53-man roster projection.
A couple of notes: Players such as defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee) and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (knee), who are not projected to return until the back half of the season, will be on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and won’t count against the 53-man roster limit. Also, you won’t find any 2025 undrafted free agents on this initial projection; the roster is too good to forecast such a significant breakout before pads come on.
With that out of the way, let’s get to it.
Quarterback (2)
In: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
Out: Kyle Allen
Analysis: Goff and Hooker are locks. Allen has a path to the roster if he impresses during preseason, but ultimately, if the Lions want to keep him, there’s a pretty decent chance they can get him on the practice squad after cutdown day.
Running back (3)
In: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sione Vaki
Out: Craig Reynolds, Kye Robichaux, Anthony Tyus III
Analysis: The first tough decision comes in deciding what to do with Reynolds. He’s been a subtle culture-setter and is well liked among the staff, but with so many intense battles elsewhere, I have him on the outside looking in. I’m projecting a decent jump from Vaki — who carries similar physicality and special-teams ability — in leaving Reynolds off.
Wide receiver (6)
In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, Kalif Raymond, Tim Patrick, Dominic Lovett
Out: Ronnie Bell, Jakobie Keeney-James, Tom Kennedy, Jackson Meeks, Malik Taylor
Analysis: The receiver projection is pretty straightforward, with Lovett being the only bubble player in my mind. As a Brad Holmes draft pick who can contribute on special teams, Lovett has a clear path to the roster, so I think he’ll find a way to land among the initial 53.
Tight end (3)
In: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra
Out: Luke Deal, Zach Horton, Kenny Yeboah
Analysis: The Lions have put three tight ends on the initial 53-man roster in each of the last two seasons. I initially had Yeboah, a free-agent signing, as the No. 3, but after digging a bit more into his past — he hasn’t graded well as a run blocker and has just 111 receiving yards over four seasons — I’m giving the nod to Zylstra, who has more familiarity within the system and overtook Parker Hesse for the No. 3 role midseason last year.
Offensive line (9)
In: Penei Sewell, Taylor Decker, Giovanni Manu, Graham Glasgow, Christian Mahogany, Miles Frazier, Tate Ratledge, Dan Skipper, Kayode Awosika
Out: Frank Ragnow, Mason Miller, Michael Niese, Colby Sorsdal, Jamarco Jones, Kingsley Eguakun, Trystan Colon
Analysis: I really wanted to add another lineman to this group. Niese has a chance at a key reserve role, Colon started seven games last season and Eguakun received ample praise from Lions coach Dan Campbell following Ragnow’s retirement. With some tough decisions to make on defense, I’m keeping this group at nine players, but this situation will remain fluid through the preseason, relative to other positions.
Edge defender (5)
In: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, Ahmed Hassanein, Al-Quadin Muhammad
Out: Mitchell Agude, Isaac Ukwu, Nate Lynn
Analysis: All five of the players I have “in” feel like pretty comfortable bets to make the roster, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this group add a sixth. Agude, Ukwu and Lynn are all returning players who made splashes at some point in last year’s training camp, so there will be plenty of opportunity for them to carve out a role.
Interior defensive line (5)
In: Roy Lopez, Levi Onwuzurike, DJ Reader, Tyleik Williams, Mekhi Wingo
Out: Keith Cooper, Myles Adams, Brodric Martin, Pat O’Connor, Chris Smith, Raequan Williams
PUP: Alim McNeill
Analysis: Like with my group of edge defenders, the five interior linemen listed should be more or less considered locks to make the roster, but there’s room to tinker on the back end of the depth chart. O’Connor and Adams gave the Lions some juice as reserves last season and Smith has stuck around the program for a while. For Martin, a former third-round pick in 2023, this training camp is a make-or-break moment for his future as a Lion. If he performs well, the team should be able to find a place for him.
Football player
Ezekiel Turner will be part of an intriguing training camp battle at the linebacker spot. (DANIEL MEARS -- The Detroit News)
Linebacker (6)
In: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Grant Stuard, Trevor Nowaske, Ezekiel Turner
Out: Zach Cunningham, DaRon Gilbert, Anthony Pittman
PUP: Malcolm Rodriguez
Analysis: The Lions have three clear-cut starters at linebacker, but with Rodriguez on the shelf for the foreseeable future, it gets interesting quickly. Stuard, who signed a fully guaranteed $1.7 million deal this offseason, is likely in. Behind him, the battle among Nowaske, Turner, Cunningham, Gilbert and Pittman will be at the forefront of this year’s camp competitions. For right now, I’m giving pole position to a pair of guys (Nowaske and Turner) who contributed for Detroit down the stretch last season.
Cornerback (7)
In: Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson, Khalil Dorsey, Avonte Maddox, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Rock Ya-Sin
Out: Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Analysis: The Lions retooled their cornerback room this offseason. They should have a formidable unit in 2025, with each of the players on the lower part of the depth chart bringing some valuable experience. While the Lions might roll with six cornerbacks and five safeties, I hesitated to do that on this projection since Maddox can play a hybrid role, and we’ve yet to see much from the on-the-bubble safeties.
Safety (4)
In: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Dan Jackson, Loren Strickland
Out: Erick Hallett, Ian Kennelly, Morice Norris
Analysis: The Lions’ safety situation is extremely fluid behind Branch and Joseph, but I’m putting Jackson on my initial 53 for the same reasons I included Lovett (particularly special-teams prowess). I rounded things out with Strickland because he made the roster as a UDFA last year, but there’s not a clear front-runner for that role entering camp.
Specialists (3)
In: Punter Jack Fox, kicker Jake Bates, long snapper Hogan Hatten
Out: N/A
This one’s easy. Fox and Bates were two of the best players at their position last season (and don’t have any competition at the moment), while Hatten made the roster as an undrafted rookie and was a reliable piece during the season.
Originally Published: July 15, 2025 at 9:23 PM EDT