Final Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection heading into 2024 regular season

Defensive Line/EDGE (10)

• EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
• DT Alim McNeill
• EDGE Marcus Davenport
• DT DJ Reader
• DE Josh Paschal
• DT Levi Onwuzurike
• DT Brodric Martin
• DT Mekhi Wingo
• EDGE Isaac Ukwu
• DT Kyle Peko

Pretty cut and dry here. Reader's iffy status for Week 1 keeps Peko around as another interior option. The choice between Ukwu and Mitchell Agude came down to the wire, with Ukwu's strip-sack against the Steelers as the thing that pushed him over the top. James Houston is still the notable cut here, even after a sack against Pittsburgh.

The injury Martin suffered against Pittsburgh is worth monitoring, but he was able to walk off the field under his own power. It appeared to be to his right knee, and after the game Dan Campbell said it's believed to be a minor hyperextension.

Linebackers (5)

• Alex Anzalone
• Jack Campbell
• Derrick Barnes
• Jalen Reeves-Maybin
• Ben Niemann

Niemann did not play in the preseason finale. That seems to indicate his roster status is secure. With how the rest of this roster came together, a numbers crunch here makes Malcolm Rodriguez a somewhat surprising cut after he was out due to injury for a big chunk of the preseason.

Cornerbacks (6)

• Carlton Davis
• Terrion Arnold
• Amik Robertson
• Ennis Rakestraw
• Kindle Vildor
• Khalil Dorsey

There's no change here compared to after the second preseason game. And there's no need for any changes, unless Arnold's injury situation is worse than has been let on.

Safeties (5)

• Brian Branch
• Kerby Joseph
• Ifeatu Melifonwu
• Brandon Joseph
• C.J. Moore

Brandon Joseph derailed a little of the momentum he's had all preseason with couple rougher moments in the preseason finale, but I've still got him making it here. C.J. Moore makes it too, sheerly on the strength of his special teams contributions.

Of interesting note here is an injury to Melifonwu, which cost him practice time last week and Dan Campbell could not offer a recovery timeline for after the game against the Steelers. If Melifonwu is turned for the worse (short-term IR?), which we just can't know right now, a roster spot would be opened up.

Specialists (3)

• K Jake Bates
• P Jack Fox
• LS Scott Daly

Bates missed a 30-yard field goal against the Steelers, which was not ideal, then he later made a 46-yarder. He also had a couple bad kickoffs, but that reeked of special teams Dave Fipp trying something in the runway allowed by the preseason to test out how to approach the league's new kickoff rules. Consistency is still a thing for him, but the Lions have committed to allowing him go through ups and downs.

All indications have shown there was a real long snapper competition between Daly and undrafted rookie Hogan Hatten. But the lean toward experience is easy here, while there's a solid chance Hatten (who played some linebacker in the first preseason game) will end up back on the practice squad.