ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions announced their initial 50-man roster -- yes, 50 -- on Tuesday afternoon with the rest of the NFL world.
One of the more glaring aspects was the fact that only Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad made the roster at edge defender.
“My first, my initial takeaway is they need edge, depth. I mean, that’s the first thing that stuck out like a sore thumb,” host Kory Woods declared within seconds of diving into roster analysis.
The Lions did not keep Nate Lynn, Isaac Ukwu nor undrafted rookie Keith Cooper Jr. To top it off, they waived rookie Ahmed Hassanein with an injury settlement, casting more doubt on the situation.
MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast laid out a couple of outside additions that could make sense, while offering their take on Hassanein’s status.
Co-host Ben Raven offered Isaiah Thomas, Isaiah Land and Carl Lawson as potential outside names to watch on the defensive line in the coming days.
And Raven also let his co-host take the floor to pitch the return for veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to Detroit.
“The right situation is here. Detroit,” Woods stated emphatically. “I will say this much. We speak with Brad (Holmes) later this week. I would be shocked if Za’Darius Smith is not in a Lions uniform by Friday.”
Raven quickly backed this prediction: “I said (last week) he’s on the practice field by Week 1, there’s three roster spots. It’s a fit. He knows the guys ... He knows (defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) Shep. He knows Dan Campbell. Get him. Get him here. Get him here.”
For the full Dungeon of Doom podcast episode breaking down the team’s initial roster, see below:
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