Detroit Lions headlines: Roster cuts, Backup quarterback

The Detroit Lions are in the midst of cutting their roster down to only 53 players. We’ll cover that and more in today’s edition of headlines!

The Detroit Lions have begun the process of trimming down their roster to just 53 players. They’ll have to do so by the league-mandated deadline of Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET. Once they do, the search begins for possible free agents who may be able to help the Lions in the regular season.

But Saturday is all about those fringe players. Who will make the initial 53-man roster and stay in the Motor City? And who is on the way out? We’ll get those answers later today. In the meantime, here are five Lions’ headlines we think are worth our reader’s time.

Lions announce roster moves – DetroitLions.com

On Friday, a total of 13 players were revealed as final cut casualties, one of whom was waived due to injury. Out of those names, there were no real surprises. Wide receiver Teo Redding made some spectacular catches in training camp but didn’t get much of an opportunity in the preseason. Defensive end Jeremiah Valoaga seemed to have a solid chance of making the active roster but it just wasn’t meant to be.

Jake Rudock or Matt Cassel: Who should be Detroit Lions backup? – Detroit Free Press

This is a bit of a toss-up. If the Lions value experience, they’ll go with Matt Cassel. If they value youth, it’s Rudock. Both performed about the same in the preseason, with neither quarterback really separating themselves from the other. Not sure it ultimately matters as Matthew Stafford can never be replaced anyway.

Five possible Lions draft prospects: Week 1 – The Detroit News

It seems way to early to be talking about the 2019 NFL Draft, with the start of the regular season just around the corner. But what’s interesting about the above article is how an offensive lineman, Alabama’s Ross Pierschbacher, is mentioned as a potential target. Detroit has used two of their last three first round picks on the O-line. So doing so again seems implausible. But I likely would have said the same thing at this time last year.

Detroit Lions’ Matt Patricia realizing just how tough of a job he has – Detroit Free Press

Some of Matt Patricia’s answers to questions following the Lions final preseason on Thursday were disturbing. The first-time head coach mentioned this team has got a long way to go. That’s not something you want to hear if you are a Lions’ fan. This was a 9-7 team last year that brought Patricia in to get them over the playoff hump, not rebuild.

Herman Moore, Alex Karras, Roger Brown to join Pride of Lions display – ESPN.com

Anytime you can honor the greats, you should. And these three exemplify what it means to be a Detroit Lion. Well deserved gentleman. Well deserved.