The Detroit Lions went through two hard days of cuts and they have fashioned their roster down to 53 guys. We know now who will be initially on the team when the Lions take the field in Week 1. Let's take a look.
Quarterback (2)
Jared Goff
Hendon Hooker
A bit of a shocker here. Essentially what the Lions have been telling us they were going to do all summer long was keep three quarterbacks. Then they decided to part ways with Sudfeld ON Tuesday before the cutdown. We wouldn't be shocked if they added another QB ahead of the season.
Running Back (4)
Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Sione Vaki
Craig Reynolds
I went back and forth on this one for a long time and I couldn't figure out what the team was going to do. Now we know. The team went with Craig Reynolds and let Jermar Jefferson walk.
Receivers (4)
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Kalif Raymond
Isaiah Williams
You have to hand it to Isaiah Williams. He beat the odds and made the Lions 53-man roster despite having a lot against him. We definitely know that the Lions are not done at this position yet. They'll likely look to add someone who just hit the market.
Tight ends (3)
Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Parker Hesse
Cutting Shane Zylstra was a big shock. The Lions are just going to go with three guys this year. Hesse will be the Lions fullback/tight end guy and Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright will do all the things you expect them to do.
Offensive line (10)
Taylor Decker
Graham Glasgow
Frank Ragnow
Kevin Zeitler
Penei Sewell
Giovanni Manu
Kayode Awosika
Dan Skipper
Michael Niese
Colby Sorsdal
Christian Mahogany- NFI
The Lions decided to keep everyone and their mother here. Eleven guys is a lot.
Defensive line (9)
Aidan Hutchinson
Alim McNeil
DJ Reader
Marcus Davenport
Mehki Wingo
Levi Onwuzrukie
Josh Paschal
John Cominsky
James Houston
Brodric Martin - IR to Return
A suddenly stacked defensive line looks pretty deep. Brodric Martin and Mekhi Wingo will come along, but Levi Onwuzurkie and Josh Paschal are going to be solid backups. The James Houston era continues in Detroit.
Linebacker (6)
Alex Anzalone
Jack Campbell
Derrick Barnes
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Ben Niemann
Malcolm Rodriguez
I really locked myself into thinking that this team would only carry five linebackers, but Ben Niemann was good enough during camp and the preseason to make the Lions go with six. Really solid group.
Cornerback (6)
Carlton Davis
Terrion Arnold
Amik Robertson
Ennis Rakestraw
Kindle Vildor
Khalil Dorsey
Emmanuel Mosely -IR to return
This was the easiest spot to figure out. The Lions have a really good group here. If these guys can live up to what we think they can be and the defensive line keeps doing their thing, we're talking about a top 10 defense in the 2024.
Safety (5)
Brian Branch
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Kerby Joseph
Brandon Joseph
Loren Strickland
Sometimes you're just a fan of a guy and you hope he makes it. That's what happened with Loren Strickland. The guy worked his butt off and caught the attention at the right time and now he's on the final 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.
Special teams (3)
Jake Bates
Jack Fox
Hogan Hatten
The Lions made a change at long snapper and went with undrafted rookie Hogan Hatten. The big thing with him is that he's a good long snapper, but he can also play linebacker if you need him to. This team loves players that can do multiple things.
Related: Final Detroit Lions 16-man practice squad prediction: Lions keep multiple guys that could see regular season play in 2024
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