After much debate over the final handful of spots, the Detroit Lions’ initial 53-man roster is here. Emphasis on initial.
This is the NFL, after all. Things change quickly. The roster you see below won’t be the one the Lions enter the season with. In fact, there are only 52 players on the roster right now. There are moves to be made and markets to monitor.
But in the meantime, here’s the bulk of the Detroit Lions’ 2024 roster, and where things stand after cutdown day.
The initial 53-man roster
QBs (2): Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
RBs (4): David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
WRs (4): Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Isaiah Williams
TEs (3): Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Parker Hesse
OL (10): Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker, Kevin Zeitler, Graham Glasgow, Colby Sorsdal, Giovanni Manu, Michael Niese, Dan Skipper, Kayode Awosika
DT (4): Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo
Edge (5): Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, James Houston, John Cominsky
LBs (6): Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Ben Niemann
DBs (11): Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brandon Joseph, Loren Strickland
Specialists (3): Jack Fox, Jake Bates, Hogan Hatten
NFI: G Christian Mahogany
IR designations: CB Emmanuel Moseley, DT Brodric Martin
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Roster construction
As things stand, the Lions have just 52 players on the roster. That will, of course, change in the coming days. Also worth noting: the team has 23 players on offense and 26 on defense. That, too, will change.
The Lions are light at some positions — wide receiver, defensive tackle, edge — and will need to correct that at some point. With an extra roster spot, expect the front office to explore adding off the waiver wire or the list of recent cuts. Per multiple reports, the Lions are adding former Broncos WR Tim Patrick to the practice squad, with the expectation that he’ll eventually work his way onto the 53-man roster. It’s a move that makes a ton of sense. He’s got good size, hands, can block and has production in this league. Reports out of Denver are that Patrick had a good camp and looks healthy. Good pickup if true.
All things considered, the Lions have one of the stronger rosters in the league. Don’t lose sight of that when discussing the backend.
Notable cuts
We’ll start with Nate Sudfeld, a polarizing player. The average fan isn’t around for every day of training camp, but Sudfeld was the more consistent backup QB for the majority of the spring and summer. The coaching staff loves Sudfeld’s IQ, experience and veteran status. He’s a calming presence in a room that would otherwise consist of Goff and Hooker — a second-year QB still trying to navigate life in the NFL. For those reasons, and comments from Campbell himself, it sure sounded like Sudfeld would be on the team. Even if it meant cutting ties with a more talented, useful player elsewhere.
“You have to have conviction that whoever that guy is is going to be able to keep this ship afloat,” Campbell said of the backup job. “And what we know about Hooker is, Hooker is a young developing quarterback and he needs reps and he needs time. I do know that. And Nate right now has the upper hand because he’s played more. He’s been in it more, he’s seen it more, he just — and so with that, that would tell you there’s a good chance you could keep three. Am I going to say that’s 100 percent certain right now? No. But that’s kind of what you look at.”
Turns out, the Lions won’t keep three QBs. At least not right now. It’s possible the Lions are just making the numbers work and have an agreement in place to bring Sudfeld back into the mix in some capacity — perhaps the practice squad. But for now, he’s off the roster. Hooker looked far better in the preseason and should continue to be developed as Goff’s backup.
Veteran DL Kyle Peko did not make the initial 53-man roster. Again, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in the fold, considering the roster currently has just four true defensive tackles. More on that later. At edge, Mitchell Agude and Isaac Ukwu didn’t make the cut despite catching Campbell’s eye. That position’s looking a bit thin at the moment, but perhaps the Lions are comfortable knowing they kick Onwuzurike and Wingo out to edge on occasion.
Elsewhere, the Lions waived James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra. Zylstra looked like one of the top 3 tight ends in practice in terms of pure receiving. However, his blocking was less than ideal. Mitchell did not flash this summer. In the end, the Lions valued the blocking and versatility of Hesse over the others.
It wasn’t a surprise to see the Lions part ways with Donovan Peoples-Jones, Daurice Fountain or Kaden Davis — the top three contenders for the WR3 job. Even prior to the news of Patrick’s arrival, there was a growing sense that the Lions could opt to roll with just four receivers on the initial 53-man roster while adding a fifth from another team. Those four receivers ended up being St. Brown, Williams, Raymond and Isaiah Williams.
And finally, in long-snapping news, the Lions went with the upside option in Hogan Hatten over veteran Scott Daly. As mentioned in previous roster projections, this was the second year in a row the Lions have had a long snapper competition in training camp. That’s not common. And it doesn’t typically bode well for the incumbent.
John Cominsky made the initial 53-man roster even though he’s been out since July with an injury. (Eric Seals / USA Today)
Surprise inclusions
John Cominsky, who’s been out since July with a torn MCL, is on the initial 53-man roster. The Lions had the option to designate him for a return but used those moves on Emmanuel Moseley and Brodric Martin. It’s possible the Lions are in wait-and-see mode with Cominsky and aren’t sure if it’s even worth designating him for a return over others, which is why those went to Moseley and Martin, who could be back sooner than Cominsky. Regardless, the Lions had three IR candidates and two spots. With Cominsky making the initial roster, there’s a strong chance we see him placed on IR in short order, which would open up a roster spot for someone like Peko. Perhaps a little roster maneuvering at hand.
Along the offensive line, the Lions chose to keep 10 guys to start the season. It felt like the final spot could come down to Michael Niese, Kayode Awosika or UDFA Kinsgley Eguakun. Instead, the Lions kept Niese and Awosika — waiving Eguakun.
It’s not surprising to see Brandon Joseph on the initial 53-man roster as the fourth safety, but it is a bit surprising to see Loren Strickland as the fifth safety. The Lions loved veteran C.J. Moore and his special teams contributions, but as Dave Fipp and Campbell have said, it’s going to take more than that to make the roster these days. Strickland looked solid as a third-team defender over the summer and you have to think the Lions felt good enough about his contributions on special teams to warrant a move like this. The Lions have a young DB room, but there’s a lot to like about it.
Hesse is a player Campbell talked about early on in camp as a standout. He’s a strong blocker and adds positional versatility as a fullback. He was able to beat out a pair of incumbents in Mitchell (a former fifth-round pick) and Zylstra, who received plenty of first-team reps in camp when the Lions rested Sam LaPorta.
Spot well-earned: Isaiah Williams
Feel-good story for Williams. He began near the bottom of the depth chart as a UDFA wide receiver, made play after play in the preseason, clearly looked like one of the team’s four best receivers and still had his spot on the team questioned — only because of his size and redundancy. For a while there, even as he continued to impress, it didn’t feel like Williams was a lock. Through it all, though, Williams did everything he could to make the roster. He ultimately did.
What Williams brings to the table is a good football IQ, solid route running and some special teams ability as a returner. By all accounts, he’s a high-character addition, too. Checks a ton of boxes, even if he lacks the ideal size for the position. If Patrick does indeed get the bump to the 53-man roster, Detroit’s WR room would suddenly look a lot better heading into the season.
GO DEEPER
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News and notes
• Reader was activated from the PUP list recently and is back at practice. Campbell said their initial plans were to have him return in Week 2 against the Buccanneers, but they’re monitoring how he progresses and haven’t ruled out Week 1.
• Several players are looking good for Week 1 after missing practice at various points in the last few weeks. That list includes Gibbs, LaPorta, Zeitler, Rodriguez, Arnold, Davis and Rakestraw.
• Christian Mahogany is back in the building after missing several weeks with an illness, but he’s not ready yet — hence the NFI designation.
• Brodric Martin left Saturday’s preseason finale with a hyperextension, per Campbell. It was enough to put him on injured reserve with a return designation.
• No real surprise, but Jake Bates remains the guy in Detroit. The Lions could’ve cut him and entered the initial 53-man roster without a kicker — as they did in 2021 — but they believe he’s a real talent and will see this through. The hope is he can settle into the position.
(Top photo of Isaiah Williams: Junfu Han / USA Today)
