2023 Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction
The Detroit Lions‘ second preseason game is in the books as they were beaten 25-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Now, the Lions shift their attention to the Carolina Panthers, who may or may not be playing their starters this coming Friday night. Here is my latest prediction on what I believe the 2023 Lions' 53-man roster will look when training camp concludes.
Quarterbacks (2)
- Jared Goff
- Teddy Bridgewater
If there was any doubt about who would win the No. 2 job, Nate Sudfeld took himself out of the running with a rough performance on Saturday.
Running Backs/Full Backs (4)
- David Montgomery
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Craig Reynolds
- Jason Cabinda (FB)
It looks like Craig Reynolds deserves the RB 3 job over Jermar Jefferson.
Wide Receivers (6)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Josh Reynolds
- Marvin Jones
- Kalif Raymond
- Dylan Drummond
- Chase Cota
I am still going with six wide receivers and with Denzel Mims out of the picture, I am adding Chase Cota to the mix.
Tight Ends (3)
- Sam LaPorta
- Brock Wright
- James Mitchell
This position group is a lock.
Offensive Line (9)
- Frank Ragnow
- Taylor Decker
- Penei Sewell
- Graham Glasgow
- Jonah Jackson
- Halapoulivaati Vaitai
- Matt Nelson
- Colby Sorsdal
- Kayode Awosika
I am still torn between Matt Nelson and Germain Ifedi and it would not surprise me if I make a switch next week.
Defensive Line (11)
- Aidan Hutchinson
- James Houston
- Romeo Okwara
- Charles Harris
- Josh Paschal
- John Cominsky
- Alim McNeill
- Isaiah Buggs
- Brodric Martin
- Levi Onwuzurike
- Julian Okwara
Dan Campbell said he wanted to see more consistency out of Julian Okwara, and Okwara has certainly stepped up his game. Last week, I had him on the outside looking in, but I have decided to add him to the 2023 Detroit Lions roster while removing a linebacker.
Linebackers (5)
- Alex Anzalone
- Jack Campbell
- Derrick Barnes
- Malcolm Rodriguez
- Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Last week, I also had Anthony Pittman making the team but with Julian Okwara stepping up, I had to make a tough decision. Pittman is now on the outside looking in.
Cornerbacks (5)
- Cameron Sutton
- Jerry Jacobs
- Will Harris
- Starling Thomas
- Chase Lucas
If Emmanuel Moseley is somehow ready to roll, then he will replace Lucas on the Detroit Lions roster.
Safeties (5)
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson
- Kerby Joseph
- Tracy Walker
- Brian Branch
- Ifeatu Melifonwu
This group seems like it is locked up as Dan Campbell has made it clear that Melifonwu has been one of the players to impress him the most during Detroit Lions training camp.
Special Teams (3)
- PK Riley Patterson
- P Jack Fox
- LS Scott Daly
Patterson got all of the work (there was not much to go around) on Saturday against the Jaguars, while Parker Romo did not see the field.
