The Detroit Lions have some tough roster decisions to make this week. One of the more intriguing positional battles is at wide receiver.
The Detroit Lions will have to cut down their roster from 90-men to just 53 by this Saturday. Between now and then, there’s one final preseason matchup against the Cleveland Browns. With the starters sidelined, this final exhibition will be a showcase for fringe players looking to prove they should make the cut.
One of the positions in question is at wide receiver. The first three spots on the depth chart appear to be locked with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola cemented as starters. Andy Jones, Chris Lacy, and rookie Travis Fulgham appear to be solid candidates for the remaining spots. But will the Lions choose to carry more than five wide receivers on their final roster in 2019?
The number of available spots will likely be determined by the play of those remaining wideout candidates. Those names include Brandon Powell, Tommylee Lewis, Tom Kennedy, Jonathan Duhart, and Jordan Lasley. All of which appear to be on the outside looking in with one preseason game to go.
MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke recently published his 53-man roster prediction for the Lions. In it, Meinke has Motown keeping just five wide receivers on their final depth chart. Here’s his explanation as to why …
"“The competition for the fourth and fifth jobs has been wide open all summer, but no one has done much to separate … Give me Lacy instead, who has repped more with the starters during practice. The final spot is a free-for-all, but I’ll go with Andy Jones because of his blocking and special teams abilities..”"
Meinke also mentioned he wanted to keep 2019 sixth-rounder Fulgham because he played more snaps than everyone except Jones and Golladay against the Bills. But the rookie also fumbled in the red zone, hurting his chances.
Could the determination to keep a sixth wide receiver or not be made following the preseason matchup against the Browns? It’s possible but seems unlikely. The recent injuries suffered by linebacker Jarrad Davis and center Frank Ragnow could force Detroit to carry extra players at each of those positional groups to compensate for their loss. That means the team may decide to go light at wide receiver.
A breakout performance from one of the aforementioned wide receivers could still tip the scales on Thursday night, forcing the Detroit Lions to find a place for them on their final-53 man roster. That makes the Lions’ last preseason game of the year a bit more interesting.