Allen Park — The Detroit Lions cut 19 players on Tuesday to get to the required 53-man limit. Here are our position-by-position thoughts on the team’s initial roster.
Quarterback (3)
►In: Jared Goff, Tim Boyle, David Blough
►Out: None
►Thoughts: Even before Boyle suffered a broken thumb, which required surgery and will keep him sidelined approximately two months, it felt like the Lions were trending toward taking all three of their quarterbacks into the regular season.
Ideally, a third quarterback is best suited for the practice squad, but given Blough’s regular-season experience, and the quality of his performance in the preseason, it would have been risky to expose him to waivers.
Boyle likely heads to injured reserve on Wednesday, opening another roster spot up for the Lions to address another area of need, including the most obvious, which I will address in a minute.
Running back (5)
►In: D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, Jermar Jefferson, Godwin Igwebuike, Jason Cabinda
►Out: Dedrick Mills, Craig Reynolds
►Thoughts: Coach Dan Campbell didn’t hide his affinity for Igewbuike, showering the converted safety with praise following the team’s third preseason game. His output during the exhibition slate wasn’t overly impressive — 41 yards on 15 carries — but he ran hard, including a hard-nosed, second-effort touchdown on fourth-and-goal in the finale.
Additionally, given his background as a defensive player prior to his pre-camp position switch, Igwebuike has the makeup to become a key member of Detroit’s special teams.
That’s assuming he sticks, of course. If the Lions are forced to address another need ahead of the season opener, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was one of the first to be on the chopping block.
To keep Igwebuike, Detroit had to make the difficult decision to part with Mills and Reynolds. Both players had some impressive moments during the preseason, particularly the late-arriving Reynolds. He led the team in rushing after signing the day before the first preseason game. One, or both, would make excellent practice squad additions.
Wide receiver (6)
►In: Tyrell Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus, Tom Kennedy, Trinity Benson
►Out: Breshad Perriman, Geronimo Allison, Victor Bolden, Javon McKinley, Damion Ratley, Sage Surratt
►Thoughts: A day before announcing the roster moves, Campbell said there was a possibility the team would keep just four receivers, while simultaneously acknowledging Kennedy had the inside track on a fifth job, if there was one to be had.
Ultimately, the Lions were able to reward Kennedy for the strength of his offseason performance, which included a team-high eight catches for 107 yards in the preseason. That wouldn’t have been all that surprising had the team not went out and acquired Benson from Denver Broncos earlier in the day.
Obviously, the overall talent and depth at the position remains a concern. Benson, who also caught eight passes in the preseason, hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game in two seasons since going undrafted. That means beyond Williams, Detroit’s receivers have combined for 34 career receptions.
It will be interesting to see how the Lions rotate their options, and how that affects the return game. Raymond, St. Brown, Kennedy and Benson all have the return skills on their resume, along with Igwebuike.
Tight end (2)
►In: T.J. Hockenson, Darren Fells
►Out: Brock Wright, Alize Mack
►Thoughts: This turned out how we projected when we predicted the final roster last weekend. Hockenson and Fells are more than talented enough to shoulder the load when healthy, and if the Lions needed help in a pinch due to an in-game injury situation, they could temporarily utilize fullback Jason Cabinda.
The bottom line with Wright and Mack is neither showed enough consistency through camp to merit a job. It has to be disappointing for Mack, who opened the offseason in the pole position due to previously playing for Campbell in New Orleans, but had the Lions kept three, Wright made a better case through his play.
Strictly because of the need for depth on the practice field, both of the cuts should be brought back for the practice squad. That will also allow give them room to develop without using up a valuable roster spot.
Offensive line (8)
►In: Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Penei Sewell, Matt Nelson, Evan Brown, Logan Stenberg
►Out: Tyrell Crosby, Dan Skipper, Darrin Paulo, Tommy Kraemer, Evan Heim
►Thoughts: The Lions got a head start on their offensive line moves Monday, waiving injured offensive tackles Crosby and Skipper.
Crosby was something of a stunner after adequately serving as the team’s starting right tackle much of last season. Of course, following the selection of Sewell in the first round of the draft, Crosby was going to be relegated back to a reserve role. Still, he had excelled at that spot since being drafted in 2018.
Skipper’s injury also hurt as he was very much in the mix for a job. With both now out of the picture, the Lions only have one backup tackle, Matt Nelson. That means the team will likely be on the hunt for an addition in the next 24 hours.
Paulo probably gets a practice squad offer, but his preseason performance indicated he’s far from being a player you want to count on at this stage in his development.
Defensive line (7)
►In: Michael Brockers, Nick Williams, Da’Shawn Hand, Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, Kevin Strong, John Penisini
►Suspended: Jashon Cornell
►Out: Miles Brown, Bruce Hector
►Thoughts: The interior of the defensive line went from a weakness to a strength since the end of last season, so much so that the team had to cut Hector despite him being one of the roster’s best preseason performers.
And frankly, it’s a little surprising the team managed to squeeze a seventh big man on the roster. That probably speaks to lingering concerns about both Brockers and Hand, who have been dealing with injuries.
Currently, the expectation is Brockers, the group’s veteran leader, will be ready to go for Week 1 against San Francisco. Hand, well, he could end up joining Boyle on injured reserve. The oft-injured lineman is currently dealing with a groin strain.
The current injured reserve rules would only rule Hand out for three weeks, which would provide him some extra time to heal and better evaluate the young rotation. But whether he goes on IR or not, the Lions will be faced with a roster decision ahead of Week 4. That’s when Cornell’s suspension expires. The second-year player who missed his rookie season with a torn Achilles quietly had an impressive training camp.
Linebackers (10)
►In: Jamie Collins, Alex Anzalone, Romeo Okwara, Trey Flowers, Julian Okwara, Austin Bryant, Charles Harris, Derrick Barnes, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Anthony Pittman
►Out: Jahlani Tavai, Tavante Beckett
►Thoughts: Some might be surprised by the decision to keep Pittman over Tavai, but the writing was on the wall for the former second-round pick as he badly butchered his opportunities throughout the preseason, making multiple physical and mental errors.
Pittman is definitely a work in progress, but he’s flashed some promise on the practice field and has a reachable ceiling as a quality backup who can contribute on special teams.
As for the edge rushers, the Lions kept their top five. Both Harris and Bryant showed plenty during the preseason to merit jobs. In fact, even though Julian Okwara’s potential kept him safely on the right side of the roster bubble, he might start the year at the bottom of the depth chart, where he could end up a healthy scratch for some early-season games.
Defensive backs (10)
►In: Jeff Okudah, Amani Oruwariye, A.J. Parker, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Tracy Walker, Will Harris, Dean Marlowe, C.J. Moore, Bobby Price, Jerry Jacobs
►Out: Mike Ford, Corn Elder, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Jalen Elliott, Alijah Holder
►Thoughts: There isn’t a position group more emblematic of Detroit’s youth movement than its secondary. The team went extremely young, particularly at cornerback, where Oruwariye, in his third season, is the most experienced guy in the room.
It will be interesting to see how the Lions handle their depth at the nickel spot, which has a high rate of injury. Parker, an undrafted rookie, unquestionably won the starting job, but the Lions made the curious decision to part with both veteran backups at that spot.
Early speculation would have Melifonwu as the top backup both outside and inside. He did see some time defending the slot during camp, even though it was new to him. It’s also possible the feisty Jacobs, another undrafted rookie, gets more practice time on the inside.
Price isn’t ready for a defensive role, but he figures to be a top special teamer out the gate while he curates his cornerback skill set after recently moving over from safety.
Detroit’s safety setup hasn’t changed throughout the offseason. Walker and Harris will start, Marlowe will back them up and be ready to take over if Harris falters, while Moore will primarily handle special teams duties.
Specialists (2)
►In: Jack Fox, Scott Daly
►Out: Zane Gonzalez, Randy Bullock
►Thoughts: Hey, look at that, the Lions don’t have a kicker. It’s a temporary move that allowed them to keep a player at another position, such as Igwebuike or Kennedy, prior to shifting Boyle to injured reserve.
Whether or not the Lions add Bullock back to the roster remains to be seen. The veteran was signed to replace Matt Prater this offseason, but despite solid career numbers, Bullock hasn’t looked sharp during his time in Detroit
There are several intriguing kicking options expected to be available, from veterans Eddy Pineiro, Joey Slye and Nick Folk to a young up-and-comer like Jake Verity, who was blocked by Justin Tucker in Baltimore.
It probably won’t be more than a day or two before the situation is resolved.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers