Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game
The Detroit Lions opened their 2024 preseason with a 14-3 loss to the New York Giants last Thursday night. After a couple days off they'll return to practice at Allen Park on Sunday, and start to prepare for the second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 17.
The first week of padded training camp practices and the lead up to the preseason opener have driven some changes to the 53-man roster projection we had going into the first week of padded practices. Injuries and disappointing performances have changed the equation in some spots, and the concern level for depth at a couple spots is very real.
After Week 1 of the preseason, here's a new 53-man roster projection for the Lions.
Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection after Week 1 of the preseason
Quarterbacks (2)
- Jared Goff
- Hendon Hooker
To channel former NFL and college head coach Dennis Green, Nate Sudfeld is "who we thought he was." Which is best reflected by 37 regular season pass attempts over eight seasons thus far.
Dan Campbell made it clear it would be an equal competition between Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker to be Jared Goff's backup, and Hooker's growing pains opened the door to keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. An outside addition would keep that possibility in play, but Sudfeld made it clear with his performance against the Giants he should not be on the roster.
Hooker flashed his potential in a quarter of action against the Giants, before leaving with a concussion. He finally started to separate himself from Sudfeld in the competition, so hopefully he's not going to miss much time.