Nearly three hours after the deadline passed for the Detroit Lions to have submitted their finalized 53-man roster for the 2026 season, the team publicly shared their cutdown list, their list of players beginning the year on the PUP list, and their full roster.
There weren't too many surprises outside of the team releasing Nick Whiteside and Greg Dortch, who seemed to have some decent hype in camp this year. There might be some trickery afoot on both fronts, but with all 53 roster spots taken at the moment - even accounting for players sitting injured on the sideline - it's hard to figure out exactly how the team might be bringing either, or both, back.
There were clear winners and losers coming out of the late-night announcement, though, as we're about two weeks out from the Lions' first regular season game of the year with this new-look squad.
5 winners (and 3 losers) from Lions' 53-man roster announcement
Winner: Underdog defensive linemen
Not one, not two, but three late draft or completely undrafted defensive linemen made the Lions roster this year - 5th-round pick Ahmed Hassanein, 6th-round pick Skyler Gill-Howard, and UDFA Eric O'Neill. Detroit had to take adding reinforcements on the D-line seriously this year, and these three young linemen came out firing in preseason to prove they could be just that for the team.
O'Neill is an especially cool story, as he was undrafted and definitely came into camp a bit rough around the edges as a prospect. But, he was majorly disruptive in limited snaps for the Lions in preseason, and it was hard to imagine where else they'd cut to fit him in. But, they've done just that.
Loser: Underdog running backs
Despite a fantastic preseason from Trayveon Williams, he just couldn't edge out Jacob Saylors or Sione Vaki to make the roster. You have to wonder what the teams' plans are for Vaki, who hasn't improved much as a running back for Detroit since getting drafted in 2024, and it feels like he's already been outplayed by Saylors on the depth chart.
Williams had three touchdowns in preseason for the Lions, but had a fumble on special teams in Week 3 of the preseason that might've cost him a roster spot. Perhaps the Lions try to recruit him for their practice squad, especially with health in that room looking a little shaky.
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Winner: Jackson Meeks
Meeks went from an undrafted free agent signing in 2025, to a practice squad addition, to a tight end convert, to making the Lions' 53-man roster over veteran TE Tyler Conklin. He impressed throughout the preseason, and looked especially good on special teams. His versatility certainly landed him a roster spot this year.
Loser: Lions' secondary
Cutting Whiteside is already pretty questionable, but when looking at the Lions' depth throughout their secondary headed into the season, you feel a bit more dread than you'd like. Sure, D.J. Reed is healthy, and Chuck Clark is an established veteran who can easily fill in for Brian Branch while he sits on the PUP list to start the season.
But, beyond them, you have a roster full of backups who cannot all add up to equate to a legitimate CB2, or second safety, next to Clark or Reed.
Whiteside was, at least, another additional depth piece to this room. But, without him, you're relying on a bounce-back from Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Avonte Maddox, a standout rookie year from Keith Abney Jr., a repeat of 'Legion of Whom' success from Rock Ya-Sin, and a flier becoming a legitimate dual threat in Roger McCreary.
Hopefully, you get all of that! But obviously, there are concerns.
Winners: Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff
The Lions' projected starting offensive line of Penei Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Juice Scruggs, Tate Ratledge, and Blake Miller is an improvement upon what Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs had to work with in 2025. And, that starting lineup could get even better once Cade Mays is back from injury. group.
Assuming Mahogany also improves upon his play from 2025, this will open the door for the offense to once again be a juggernaut. They looked great in preseason, albeit against other teams' backups, but we'll buy into the hype that Dan Campbell is selling about this
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