Not The Same Old Lions Podcast: Reaction to 53-man roster and season prediction

There were a few surprises when the Lions announced their initial 53-man roster, first of which was that it only contained 52 players.  A couple of surprise cuts start right at the tight end position.  Both Shane Zylstra and James Mitchell were let go.  Most figured Zylstra would make the roster as the third tight end.  Sticking with pass catching, Donovan Peoples-Jones was a player most didn’t think had any chance of getting cut when training camp started, but after a training camp that didn’t see him flash very much he was let go.  

The Lions only kept four wide receivers on their initial roster, with undrafted free agent Isaiah Williams making the squad.  He could play a role in the return and potentially help out in the slot or maybe even be tried outside (even though the Lions would like to add a bigger bodied guy there).

This brings us to a couple names on the practice squad that have excited Lions fans.  Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson were both added at the wide receiver position.  Both players are later in their career, but bring the size and experience that could play a vital role. Zylstra and Mitchell were brought back to the practice squad.

Another roster surprise was Nate Sudfeld.  It wasn’t that he was kept, but that he was released.  While the player brings quite a bit of knowledge to the quarterback room, many fans (and some in the media) were not won over by his on the field performance.  The Lions instead opted to bring back Jake Fromm to the practice squad (which may also have had to do with Fromm not having the same veteran status as Sudfeld in conjunction with league rules). This is the most talented practice squad the Lions have assembled in a long time.

After talking more in depth about the roster moves, the trio then moved to discuss expectations for the season.  They went through parts of the schedule again and looked at which teams have improved this off season as well as talked about where they think each team will finish in the NFC North.

To listen to the entire conversation on these topics and for more Detroit Lions content you can follow Not The Same Old Lions Podcast on Spotify, Apple and other major podcast platforms including YouTube or simply find the show link here.