Detroit Lions: Five Players that are Tough Roster Choices
By Kent Platte
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jermelle Cudjo
Jermelle Cudjo had quite the outing against the Jets after tearing up training camp and getting his name known. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows against Washington, however, and he came back down to earth a bit. Keeping Cudjo would mean keeping 5 defensive tackles on the roster, which would likely mean keeping only 4 defensive ends or possibly fewer linebackers. There are ripples to his roster spot if he makes it.
Why he’s earned a spot
Throughout training camp, Cudjo has been making waves. A penetrating interior rusher, he has been constantly giving guys fits with his power. That showed up big time against the Jets, but he wasn’t as impressive against Washington. The Lions have always looked at their defensive line depth as a whole, not broken up between DT and DE. With the defensive end depth struggling, a guy like Cudjo could find a role as a rotational rusher, moving someone like Reid or Walker to the edge on special plays.
Why It’s Not So Simple
The Detroit Lions have dedicated significant draft resources to bolstering their defensive line. The top 4 DT spots are locked, so he can’t knock anyone off there, meaning his roster spot would have to be at the expense of another position. Larry Webster has been just dreadful as an edge rusher, but he is only one year removed from being a 4th round pick, would they really cut bait? Ansah, Jones, and Taylor are locks for the roster, as is Tapp probably. That means that Cudjo taking a spot would move Webster off the roster.
Assuming they keep 10 DL and gamble that Webster can improve, where do they take depth from? Linebacker? Three of the players that could be pushed off are Josh Bynes, Julian Stanford, and Travis Lewis. Two of those three are above average special teams players and the third (Stanford) is at least decent there. It would be a very difficult to fit Cudjo onto the roster, a real “rob Peter to pay Paul” type situation.
Next: When do you cut bait?