Final Detroit Lions 2023 53-man roster projection before Week 1

The Detroit Lions finished the preseason with a 26-17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. So now it's on to roster cut down day, with Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline to be down to 53 players.

After the game, head coach Dan Campbell pointed to the hard decisions that are coming after so many players rose up during the preseason.

"In some regards it makes it clearer, and in other regards it makes it very cloudy. And that’s a good problem to have. But it was good to see, ”We’re going to have to let go of some really good players,” Campbell said. “And that’s tough. That’s tough to do. But it also means there’s growth and your talent level has gone up. And that’s a good thing for your football team."

Dan Campbell

The Lions will certainly be hoping to bring some players they cut back on the practice squad. But it's fair to assume a chunk of those they cut will not pass through unclaimed by other teams, and become options there. Which speaks to how quickly the talent level has been raised.

Without further ado, here's our final preseason 53-man roster projection for the Lions

Final Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection

Quarterbacks (2)
Jared Goff
Teddy Bridgewater
Hendon Hooker (PUP or NFI)

Any discussion about the Lions keeping a third quarterback on the 53-man roster ended when Nate Sudfeld went out with a knee injury on Friday night.

Running Backs (5)
David Montgomery
Jahmyr Gibbs
Craig Reynolds
Benny Snell
Jason Cabinda (FB)

Reynolds may have needed a good showing against the Panthers to solidify his place as the No. 3 running back, and he delivered (11 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown). Cabinda sticks around after being on the roster bubble all offseason. I'm going with Snell as the fourth running back--a core special teamer and fallback option for work in the offense.

Wide Receivers (6)
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Marvin Jones
Kalif Raymond
Josh Reynolds
Dylan Drummond
Antoine Green
Jameson Williams (suspended)

Drummond had a nice game against Carolina, showing his mettle as a short and intermediate area receiver, while fellow UDFA Chase Cota had a couple bad drops that stand to cost him. Green had his best showing of the preseason against the Panthers, highlighted by a 70-yard touchdown, so he gets a late push up to the 53 here.

Tight Ends (3)
Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
James Mitchell

The chalk trio remains here. No need for further exposition.

Offensive Line (9)
Taylor Decker
Penei Sewell
Frank Ragnow
Jonah Jackson
Graham Glasgow
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Colby Sorsdal
Matt Nelson
Germain Ifedi

Sorsdal became a lock to make it over the course of the preseason, as he was lined up at multiple spots and was effective. Nelson and Ifedi were in a proverbial battle for one roster spot as the Lions' primary backup tackle, but I've got both making it here.

Defensive Line (10)
Aidan Hutchinson
Alim McNeill (DT)
James Houston (Edge)
Charles Harris (Edge)
Josh Pashal
Isaiah Buggs (DT)
John Cominsky
Romeo Okwara (Edge)
Brodric Martin (DT)
Levi Onwuzurike (DT)

The depth the Lions have in their front-seven is the best they've had in memory. But at the same time, the notable cut here (Julian Okwara) is obvious. Romeo Okwara does linger as a potential trade candidate, such that any offers will come. Onwuzurike has been healthy, and he made some plays this preseason.

Linebackers (5)
Alex Anzalone
Jack Campbell
Derrick Barnes
Malcolm Rodriguez
Jalen Reeves-Maybin

The Lions have four linebackers who could start for a lot of teams. Campbell has been very good this preseason, but Barnes' performance all offseason may get him the starting job next to Anzalone over the rookie going into the season.

Secondary (10)
Cameron Sutton
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Jerry Jacobs
Brian Branch
Kerby Joseph
Tracy Walker
Will Harris
Starling Thomas
Steven Gilmore
Chase Lucas
Emmanuel Moseley (PUP)

Gilmore followed a resilient showing against Jacksonville in the second preseason game with an even better showing against Carolina. He was physical when an opportunity came, sticky in coverage (four pass breakups) and he made the play that sealed the win for the Lions.

Lucas also had a good outing against the Panthers, highlighted by a fabulous interception in the end zone. His late push for a roster spot gets completed here.

Specialists (3)
PK Riley Patterson
P Jack Fox
LS Scott Daly

A 53-yard field goal miss against the Panthers, off the crossbar, showed the limitations of Patterson's range. He also missed an extra point, to show how iffy the Lions' kicker situation still is. A close monitoring of kickers who become available feels likely, but without a firm name to put in his place Patterson gets the gig for now.