The Detroit Lions have completed their 2019 training camp and their first preseason game, so it’s once again time to take a closer look at the 90-man roster. By using a Roster Stack — predicting roles by grouping players by their expected value to the team — we can get a look at the current front-runners for the 53-man roster as well as how things may change with different approaches to roster construction.
This version of the Lions Roster Stack will break down the roster into eight sections: 1) Impact players, 2) Core players, 3) Starter battles, 4) Role players, 5) Last 10 to make the 53, 6) One spot away from the 53, 7) Challenging for the 53, and 8) Have work to do.
Impact players
These are the players who if removed from the roster, would greatly impact the team’s overall performance.
| QB | Matthew Stafford |
| RB | Kerryon Johnson |
| WR | Kenny Golladay |
| DDE | Trey Flowers |
| NT | Damon Harrison |
| CB | Darius Slay |
| S | Quandre Diggs |
No changes here since my last Pre-training camp Roster Stack update. Slay was the only player in the group to see the field in preseason Week 1 and that was likely just to get him reps after recently coming off the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.
Core Players
These players make up the foundation of the team and have a significant weekly role on the roster.
| WR | Marvin Jones |
| TE | T.J. Hockenson |
| TE | Jesse James |
| LT | Taylor Decker |
| IOL | Frank Ragnow |
| IOL | Graham Glasgow |
| RT | Rick Wagner |
| DL | Da’Shawn Hand |
| DT | A’Shawn Robinson |
| MIKE | Jarrad Davis |
| JACK | Devon Kennard |
| NB | Justin Coleman |
| S | Tracy Walker |
| K | Matt Prater |
| P | Sam Martin |
| LS | Don Muhlbach |
Among the players in this section, only the tight ends and starting offensive line saw the field on offense, while on the other side of the ball, only Kennard, Coleman and Walker played. Outside of Glasgow and the tight ends, everyone else in this group only played one series, illustrating their value to the team, as the Lions didn’t want to risk them to injury.
Starter battles
The players in this section will either win a starting role or find a home as a reserve/role player and likely have an inside shot at the Lions 53-man roster.
| OG | Kenny Wiggins |
| IOL | Joe Dahl |
| OG | Oday Aboushi |
| DT | A’Shawn Robinson |
| DT | Mike Daniels |
| WILL | Christian Jones |
| LB | Jahlani Tavai |
| CB | Rashaan Melvin |
| CB | Teez Tabor |
Wiggins, Dahl and Aboushi continue to rotate snaps among the first and second offensive line groups. Wiggins got the start on Thursday night and has maintained a slight lead over the other two all camp. Dahl’s recent 2-year contract extension speaks to his long-term value to the organization but doesn’t appear to be influencing his status as a starter — yet.
Having Robinson and Daniels in this section is a formality as both will likely receive a hefty amount of snaps. The only reasons each is in this section rather than the one above is that they are both in the final year of their contracts and no official starter has been named.
The same could be said for Tavai and Jones at WILL linebacker, save Tavai having four years left on his contract. Both will play regardless of who is the technical starter.
Tabor’s injury put a premature end to the competition at outside cornerback with Melvin and it will be interesting to see if this battle heats up again once Tabor is healthy. Melvin has been the front-runner all camp.
Role players
These players should feel comfortable with their role on the team based on their skill sets and the current level of competition from the other players at their position group.
| QB | Tom Savage |
| RB | C.J. Anderson |
| RB | Ty Johnson |
| FB | Nick Bawden |
| Slot | Danny Amendola |
| TE | Logan Thomas |
| OL | Tyrell Crosby |
| DE | Romeo Okwara |
| WILL | Jalen Reeves-Maybin |
| NB/PR | Jamal Agnew |
| S | Tavon Wilson |
| S | Will Harris |
Savage is the clear backup to Stafford, but he was forced to leave the game with an injury. We don’t officially know why he was forced to leave but it looked like a possible concussion, something he has had a problem with in the past. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.
After Kerryon Johnson, the Lions have a trio of backs in Anderson, Ty Johnson and fullback Nick Bawden who have all seen specific roles in camp. The fact that Ty Johnson was played ahead of Zach Zenner in last nights game, speaks to how well he has played in camp.
Amendola and Thomas are the third options at their respective positions and provide a veteran presence to the offense.
Crosby had a solid rookie season but he has struggled mightily in 2019. He has had trouble getting his anchor set at tackle all camp and that showed up in the game as well, giving up three sacks. He is still the best reserve option they have on the offensive line, but a time may come when the Lions decide to test his skill set inside rather than out.
Reeves-Maybin, Agnew, Wilson and Harris bring depth to their positions as well as unique skill sets and/or future upside. Their every week value will come on special teams where they are core first-team players.
Side note: wide receiver Jermaine Kearse was in this section before suffering a brutal, potentially season-ending, injury in last nights game. He is almost assuredly headed to injured reserve.
Last 10 to make the 53
Based on my predicted current roster structure there should be 10 remaining spots on the Lions 53-man roster. The players in this section are the current leaders for those final spots but will be challenged by the players in the next two sections as things are far from settled.
| RB | Zach Zenner |
| WR | Andy Jones |
| Slot | Brandon Powell |
| TE | Isaac Nauta |
| OT | Andrew Donnal |
| JACK | Eric Lee |
| JACK | Austin Bryant |
| LB/Sp.T | Miles Killebrew |
| CB | Amani Oruwariye |
| S | Andrew Adams |
Zenner, Nauta, Lee (who played on 94-percent of last nights defensive snaps), Bryant, Oruwariye and Adams are all closer to making the roster than missing it and are only mildly vulnerable to being released based on roster construction. We also don’t know the full extent of Bryant’s injury, but if it is significant or the Lions need a roster spot, he could be stashed on injured reserve.
With the Kearse injury, the wide receiver four and five spots are wide open. For now, I’m settling on Andy Jones and Brandon Powell based on the fact that the Lions used them first in last nights game indicating, among the reserves, they’re highest on the depth chart. They will be challenged heavily by Chris Lacy, rookie Travis Fulgham and potentially a wide receiver who isn’t currently on the roster.
Killebrew was on the outside looking in, in my last Roster Stack update but he plays everywhere on special teams and has shown some promise as a linebacker. He’s going to be tough to knock out of the 53-man roster based on how he has played in camp.
Like Crosby, Donnal was atrocious in last nights game and gave up three sacks by my count. Unlike Crosby, His upside isn’t as high and he may be the most vulnerable player in this section. The biggest thing going for him is the third-team offensive tackles have played even worse.
One spot away from the 53
If the Lions decide to construct their roster differently than we have above then the players in this section could find themselves moving up a section, but if things play out as we predicted, these players still likely only have to beat one player ahead of them to make the 53-man roster.
| WR | Chris Lacy |
| WR | Travis Fulgham |
| IOL | Luke Bowanko |
| DT | Kevin Strong |
| NT | John Atkins |
| NT | PJ Johnson |
| DDE | Mitchell Loewen |
| CB | Andre Chachere |
| CB | Mike Ford |
| S/Sp.T | Charles Washington |
Bowanko has had a nice camp so far and if Aboushi continues to struggle, he may get the opening he needs to secure a spot on the 53.
Among the undrafted free agent rookies, Strong has the best chance to make the 53-man roster. He is still working on his game but you can see the upside. If he misses out on the regular-season roster, he should be priority one when establishing a practice squad.
Atkins, PJ Johnson — and some would argue Darius Kilgo — are in the mix for the reserve nose tackle spot and of the Lions feel like they need another big body for depth they could sneak in. The biggest obstacles they face are, both Robinson and Daniels can back up Harrison at the nose tackle spot and if the team did want a seventh down defensive lineman, Strong has more upside and positional range.
Loewen has Flowers-like range to play at down defensive end at the 3-technique — he played at both spots in last nights game — which could be appealing when designing the roster.
Chachere and Ford are just one injury in the cornerback’s room away from a roster spot. If Tabor’s injury lands him on injured reserve, this will be a battle to watch.
Washington is a dynamic special teams player, but with only minimal value on defense, it’s a tough road to the roster.
Challenging for the 53
These players will need some help in order to find their way onto the 53-man roster, but they still have their champions among the Detroit media and can’t be ruled out of the conversation just yet. A solid preseason could see them move up section.
| Slot | Tommylee Lewis |
| NT | Darius Kilgo |
| JACK | Malik Carney |
| LB | Garret Dooley |
| MIKE | Steve Longa |
| CB | Marcus Cooper |
| CB | Dee Virgin |
Lewis is fast but after missing almost all of training camp, his chances of making an impression is dwindling.
Kilgo got the start in last nights game, which could be enough to move up a section, but I think that was based more because of his veteran status rather than his skill set.
Virgin made some noise against the Patriots reserves in last nights game and has been running with the ones on special teams, but like Washington, he’s likely too far down the defensive depth chart to stick.
Longa and Carney have been injured all camp and could be injured reserve candidates if the Lions want to keep their rights. They did the same thing with Dooley last year and he was having a solid camp before also getting injured. Cooper has been injured off an on all camp and unless he sees the field quickly, his chances are slim to make the roster.
Have work to do
These players found a spot on the roster based on their previous accomplishments but based on the other additions to the roster, they will have some work to do in the preseason if they hope to beat the odds and make the 53-man team.
| QB | David Fales |
| RB | Mark Thompson |
| WR | John Duhart |
| Slot | Tom Kennedy |
| TE | Jerome Cunningham |
| TE | Austin Traylor |
| IOL | Leo Koloamatangi |
| RG | Micah St. Andrew |
| OT | Matt Nelson |
| RT | Ryan Pope |
| RG | Beau Benzschawel |
| DT | Ray Smith |
| DDE | Jonathan Wynn |
| NT | Fred Jones |
| MIKE | Tre Lamar |
| WILL | Anthony Pittman |
| CB | Johnathan Alston |
| S | C.J. Moore |
| P/K | Ryan Santoso |
Among the players in this section, rookies Pittman, Lamar and Moore have the best chances for the practice squad. I also like Thompson here as well.
Fales and the entire third-team offensive line should all feel in trouble and I wouldn’t be surprised if any of them were replaced before the preseason was up.
