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Only so many players are going to be cut and there were some tough decisions this year. Oddly, it was harder to pick who to stay than it was to choose who I’d cut. The Detroit Lions are deep for a 53 man roster, but their fringe 90 man roster was extremely weak on the ends. Listed here are a few players that only just made the cut to stay with the team another week. They’d need a very good showing to stick with the team, nearly insurmountable at this point of the preseason.
Greg Salas, Wide Receiver
I very nearly had Salas gone with the first cuts and it’s possible he still is. Although he had a nice showcase game against his former team, Salas was the worst wide receiver in training camp and didn’t show up at all when given a bigger role in Washington. I don’t expect him to make the final roster, but he slides through to another week.
Desmond Martin, Running Back
Martin must have been added to and removed from my cut list a half dozen times. The Detroit Lions are loaded at running back and it would be a luxury to keep another one around. In this case, I think they keep him around as injury insurance only. The team has good depth, but they can’t really afford to risk snaps on a preseason match up for their runners. Let him show what he can do, see if he finds a spot on a practice squad.
Jacob Maxwell, Tight End
The Detroit Lions were very high on Maxwell coming out of UL-Lafayette last season. He was unable to find his way on the team then, but managed to come back to the team he started with. Barring injury, it’s nearly impossible to see a spot on the roster for him, but he should stick around another week to see if he can show what made the Detroit Lions like him in the first place.
Joe Madsen, Center
A below average athlete at center, Madsen hasn’t shown much in his NFL career. Despite that, the Detroit Lions are reeling with injuries to their offensive line right now and I doubt they part ways with many at this moment. Somebody has to fill in for the interior OL starters if they get nicked and Tyler Boggs can’t do everything himself.
R.J. Stanford, Cornerback
Another player I kept adding and removing from my cut list. On the one hand, he isn’t making the final roster. On the other hand, neither was Cassius Vaughn or Mohammed Seisay a year ago. The Detroit Lions are rightly being overly cautious with their depth in their secondary and a guy like Stanford is essentially insurance.
So what do you think of this list, Lions fans? Are there guys here you want to see on the final 53 man roster? What about guys that might still have a shot, at least enough for one more game to show it? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MathBomb!