ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions are two preseason games in, with two more to go.
Which young players are standing out? How many quarterbacks will the team keep? How will the Lions balance injury vs. development? Where do things stand with the roster?
Let’s address some of those questions and more in our latest roster projection.
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Quarterbacks (3)
Jared Goff
Kyle Allen
Hendon Hooker
Others: N/A.
I’m somewhat reluctantly keeping three quarterbacks, and I can admit that. However, I’m not sure Hooker is safe at this point. If the season started tomorrow, you have to think Allen would be the backup. Preseason games aren’t the primary method of evaluation for the coaching staff, but the offense has undoubtedly moved the ball better with Allen through two games than with Hooker.
After a hot start to training camp, Hooker hasn’t been able to carry over his practice performance into preseason games. At some point, that has to matter. Hooker got the start vs. the Falcons and completed 7-of-10 pass attempts for 38 yards, rushed three times for 27 yards and fumbled twice. He was supposed to finish the first half but was pulled near the end of the second quarter in favor of Allen after his second fumble. Head coach Dan Campbell was frank about it.
“You decide you’re gonna be a runner, you gotta tuck it away, man,” he said.
It feels like the Lions are in a bit of a gray area with Hooker. If they cut him, you have to think he’d be claimed quickly by another team. It’s hard to say GM Brad Holmes would be OK with cutting a QB he drafted in the third round and knew would need time to develop. And while it’s hard to say he’s earned a spot on the roster, the Lions tend to give their draft picks every opportunity to succeed or fail. We’re keeping him for now, but he has serious work to do.
Hendon Hooker lost two fumbles against the Falcons on Friday. (Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)
Running backs (4)
Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki
No real changes here. If the Lions need to do some maneuvering, they could cut Reynolds and bring him back immediately — like they did a few years ago — since he’s not subject to waivers. But I think they can make it work. Vaki has had a bit of a rough training camp, largely because a hamstring injury has sidelined him for the two preseason games. He spent Monday’s practice working off to the side, so he appears to be taking things slow. Doesn’t seem like they’re going to push him, but it’s unfortunate for him that he hasn’t been out there much. He looks good when he plays.
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Others: Jacob Saylors, Deon Jackson.
Wide receivers (5)
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Tim Patrick
Isaac TeSlaa
Kalif Raymond
Others: Dominic Lovett, Tom Kennedy, Jackson Meeks, Ronnie Bell, Jakobie Keeney-James, Malik Taylor.
The big change here is Lovett, still out with an abdominal injury, on the outside looking in. I’m probably in the minority here, but missing 10 or so days of practice might as well be a month for a seventh-rounder trying to make this roster. The idea of keeping a late-round developmental slot receiver sounds good until you realize Isaiah Williams was in a similar position last year and was a healthy scratch before eventually getting waived. Lovett has a chance to play his way back into the mix, but I’m factoring in the missed time.
Side note: Buy all the TeSlaa stock you can. And I’m not talking electric cars.
First NFL TD for @TeslaaIsaac!#DETvsATL | 📺 Lions TV Network pic.twitter.com/5f7GmYpzb6
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 9, 2025
Tight ends (3)
Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra
Others: Zach Horton, Gunnar Oakes, Steven Stilianos.
Injured reserve (out for the season): Kenny Yeboah.
The Lions signed Yeboah in free agency to compete for the TE3 job, but he had more downs than ups in training camp and was recently placed on season-ending IR. Zylstra remains the heavy favorite for the job as things stand, but don’t sleep on Horton. He gets first-team looks at fullback. At the very least, I think he sticks around on the practice squad if he goes unclaimed.
Offensive line (9)
LT Taylor Decker
LG Christian Mahogany
C Graham Glasgow
RG Tate Ratledge
RT Penei Sewell
OT Dan Skipper
OT Giovanni Manu
G Kayode Awosika
OT Jamarco Jones
Others: Kingsley Eguakun, Netane Muti, Michael Niese, Mason Miller, Gunner Britton, Keaton Sutherland.
Active/PUP: Miles Frazier.
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Injured reserve (out for the season): Colby Sorsdal, Justin Herron.
TBD: Trystan Colon.
A lot of injuries here. Skipper and Jones were injured last week. Sorsdal played more tackle last week as a result, and the Lions signed Herron as depth to account for those injuries as well. Now both are on season-ending IR. Colon, a reserve interior lineman, is dealing with an elbow injury and will be out “a while,” per Campbell. They haven’t placed him on IR yet, so we’ll see what the deal is. But that’s another hit to the depth in camp.
In the end, I’m keeping the same group of linemen I had in my previous projection.
Defensive tackles (5)
DJ Reader
Tyleik Williams
Mekhi Wingo
Roy Lopez
Keith Cooper
Others: Pat O’Connor, Chris Smith, Myles Adams, Brodric Martin.
Active/PUP: Alim McNeill.
The change here is that Cooper is in and O’Connor is out. Because these projections are more in-the-moment snapshots, I think Cooper has flashed enough to warrant a spot. He’s been hard to block in practice and produces in games as well — plus he offers inside-out versatility. I had O’Connor in my previous projection, but I think the Lions could afford to keep him around on the practice squad and call him up when they need him. He’s not subject to waivers, like Cooper would be.
Edge rushers (6)
Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Josh Paschal
Al-Quadin Muhammad
Ahmed Hassanein
Nate Lynn
Others: Pat O’Connor, Mitchell Agude, Isaac Ukwu.
I had Lynn making my previous roster projection, and he’s done nothing to make me change that opinion. He was active yet again vs. the Falcons after recording a team-high three pressures vs. the Chargers. As a player who was standing out prior to a season-ending injury in 2024, he’s picked up where he left off. Between him, Muhammad and Hassanein, I have a bit more faith in Detroit’s edge depth than I previously had. They’ve all done their part to stand out. That said, the Lions haven’t ruled out a Za’Darius Smith reunion. We’ll see if something materializes there after training camp.
Trevor Nowaske played 70 percent of the Lions’ special teams snaps last season and 37 percent on defense. (Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)
Linebackers (6)
Alex Anzalone
Jack Campbell
Derrick Barnes
Zach Cunningham
Grant Stuard
Trevor Nowaske
Others: Anthony Pittman, Ezekiel Turner, DaRon Gilbert.
Active/PUP: Malcolm Rodriguez.
No changes here. The Lions entered the 2024 season with seven linebackers, so there should be room for six if they want to go that route. Campbell, Anzalone, Barnes are your starters, with Cunningham the top reserve. Stuard is an ace special teamer who can step in defensively if needed, and Nowaske is a young player the Lions like.
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Cornerbacks (5)
Terrion Arnold
D.J. Reed
Amik Robertson (nickel)
Avonte Maddox
Khalil Dorsey
Others: Erick Hallett II, Dicaprio Bootle, Tyson Russell, Nick Whiteside, D.J. Miller, Luq Barcoo.
Injured reserve (out for the season): Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
It’s been a rough couple of years for Rakestraw. He missed two months with a hamstring injury last year. He’s been in and out of practice in Year 2, before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in practice last week. Rakestraw had surgery and was placed on IR. Brutal for a promising player who hasn’t been able to stay on the field.
As things stand, I have five corners (nickels included) in this projection. One change here is Maddox vs. Rock Ya-Sin. Ya-Sin can play corner in a pinch, but the Lions have been trying him at safety lately. He played 21 of his 28 defensive snaps at safety, while Maddox — after playing 11 snaps at safety in the Hall of Fame game — logged all 25 defensive snaps at nickel against the Falcons. Dorsey, the team’s top gunner, is recovering from a fractured leg but is expected to be ready when the season begins.
Safeties (4)
Brian Branch
Kerby Joseph
Rock Ya-Sin
Ian Kennelly
Others: Loren Strickland, Morice Norris.
Injured reserve (out for the season): Dan Jackson.
Kennelly got the start vs. the Falcons after a strong performance vs. the Chargers and played well again. With Jackson out for the season and Norris in concussion protocol and expected to miss 10-14 days, there’s a clear battle between Kennelly and Strickland for the fourth safety job. Strickland seems like a trusted special teamer, but the more you watch Kennelly, the more you like about his game. He’s smart, knows how to tackle and has the right makeup for the position.
Specialists (3)
K Jake Bates
P Jack Fox
LS Hogan Hatten
Others: N/A.
Nothing to see here. These three are locked in.
(Top photo of Keith Cooper: Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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