The Detroit Lions put a mark in the meaningless win column with a 21-16 victory over the New York Giants in the preseason opener at Ford Field on Friday night. But a win in certainly better than a loss, even in the preseason, and there were players who took advantage of the opportunity that was put in front of them.
So heading toward the second preseason game Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which will be preceded by another set of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, it's time for a fresh Lions' 53-man roster projection.
We can still confidently project a good chunk of who the Lions' final 53 heading into the season will be. It's the last handful or so of roster spots that are flexible, and subject to change, with the kicker battle as one where someone will outright lose a roster spot.
With one preseason game in the books, here's a new 53-man roster projection for the Lions.
Detroit Lions' 53-man roster projection after the preseason opener
Quarterbacks (2)
Jared Goff
Teddy Bridgewater
(Hendon Hooker-PUP)
There is no mystery here. But Nate Sudfeld's performance against the Giants only further locks Bridgewater into the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. It also pushed the idea the Lions would carry him as a healthy No. 3 quarterback, if they went that way, all but out the window.
Dan Campbell's tabbing this as a "redshirt year" for Hooker makes it all but sure the rookie signal caller starts the season on the PUP list.
Running Backs (5)
David Montgomery
Jahmyr Gibbs
Craig Reynolds
Benny Snell
Jason Cabinda
The sudden retirement of Justin Jackson makes the battle for spots behind Montgomery and Gibbs more wide open than it already was. Devine Ozigbo (11 carries for 31 yards) and fellow new addition Snell (six carries for 23 yards) saw solid amounts of immediate action aainst the Giants, as easily expected. Giving Snell the nod here right now, in deference to his becoming a prominent special teamer for the Steelers over the last couple years.
Wide Receivers (6)
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Kalif Raymond
Marvin Jones
Josh Reynolds
Dylan Drummond
Denzel Mims
(Jameson Williams-suspended)
The top four here are roster locks, barring something completely unforeseen that would go beyond a major injury. Williams' six-game suspension to start the season opens a spot for someone to grab a spot on the 53. Fellow UDFA Chase Cota may be coming for Drummond after a good performance against New York, but Drummond's body of work in camp gives him the edge here.
Tight Ends (3)
Sam LaPorta
James Mitchell
Brock Wright
Same as it was heading into the preseason opener, the drama left here when Shane Zylstra left the practice field with a major knee injury. But Mitchell' showing against the Giants may have him start to push Wright for the TE2 spot.
Offensive Line (9)
Taylor Decker
Penei Sewell
Frank Ragnow
Jonah Jackson
Graham Glasgow
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Colby Sorsdal
Bobby Hart
Kayode Awosika
Note: The original projection had Ross Pierschbacher in, but he was injured against New York and the Lions released him with an injury settlement on Sunday.
Matt Nelson's rough showing against the Giants leaves him vulnerable to losing what once looked like a locked-in spot as the Lions' primary backup tackle. Germain Ifedi is a natural beneficiary of that, but the versatility and experience the recently-added Hart provides gets him the spot.
Defensive Line/Edge Rushers (10)
Aidan Hutchinson
James Houston
John Cominsky
Josh Paschal
Charles Harris
Romeo Okwara
Alim McNeill
Brodric Martin
Isaiah Buggs
Levi Onwuzurike
Onwuzurike is healthy and did well against the Giants, so he pushes into a spot here. Julian Okwara's three-sack outing against New York was a nice response to Campbell calling for more consistency from him, but he's got more work to do in order to crack a deep edge rusher group and get a spot on this 53.
Linebackers (6)
Alex Anzalone
Jack Campbell
Malcolm Rodriguez
Derrick Barnes
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Anthony Pittman
The question here, among the top four roster spot locks, is who will win the starting job next to Anzalone, with Campbell and Barnes looking like the favorites right now. Reeves-Maybin and Pittman both make it as depth and core special teamers.
Defensive Backs (9)
Cam Sutton (CB)
Jerry Jacobs (CB)
C,J. Gardner-Johnson (S/slot CB)
Kerby Joseph (S)
Tracy Walker (S)
Brian Branch (S/slot CB)
Will Harris (CB)
Starling Thomas (CB)
Ifeatu Melifonwu (S)
(Emmanuel Moseley-PUP)
The versatility and variability of the Lions' secondary pieces makes it easy to just lump them into one group. One point of interest is Moseley's status for the start of the season being up in the air, if not trending toward it being a lock he starts on the PUP list. So that's the projection here, subject to change going forward if Moseley is able to practice very soon.
Specialists (3)
PK Riley Patterson
P Jack Fox
LS Scott Daly
The kicker battle between Patterson and Parker Romo was boring and unremarkable in the preseason opener, which is just fine compared to the alternative. So the status quo remains, with Patterson the favorite and Romo having to clearly unseat him. Last week's release of Jake McQuaide gives the long snapper gig to Daly,