Predicting the winners of Detroit Lions training camp battles on defense and special teams.
On Monday, we broke down the biggest training camp battles on offense and made our predictions for which Detroit Lions players were in position to make the roster and who could miss it.
The situation on defense is a bit tougher to weed through. There are starting jobs still up for grabs and the depth pieces will have more competition than ever after a heavy investment in defense over the past two offseasons.
Let’s take a look at the roster bubble players on defense and special teams, and make predictions on who will make the 53-man roster come September.
Edge defenders
- Presumed in: Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Paschal
- Marcus Davenport: 11 “IN” votes
- James Houston: 11 votes
- John Cominsky: 10 votes
- Mathieu Betts: 3 votes
- Mitchell Agude: 0 votes
The early votes are on the Lions keeping five EDGE players, and those five are pretty well outlined. Detroit invested a fair amount in Davenport ($3 million guaranteed), Houston has too much pass rushing potential, and the Lions adjusted Cominsky’s contract to keep him around. That said, Betts’ potential after a fantastic season in the CFL could certainly threaten one of those players or justify keeping a sixth.
Defensive tackle
- Presumed in: DJ Reader, Alim McNeill, Brodric Martin
- Mekhi Wingo: 11 votes
- Levi Onwuzurike: 10 votes
- Chris Smith: 0 votes
Another pretty straightforward one. We unanimously have sixth-round rookie Wingo in, while Onwuzurike has all but one of us convinced he can bounce back after a promising spring . Chris Smith saw some high reps during OTAs and could see a chance if Onwuzurike or Wingo struggle in camp, but no one is buying it yet.
Linebackers
- Presumed in: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- DaRon Gilbert: 0 votes
- Ben Niemann: 0 votes
Will the Lions keep a sixth linebacker like in some previous seasons? Our staff doesn’t think so. Niemann has a long NFL history of playing both linebacker and special teams, so he likely has the early edge if Detroit opts to keep an extra linebacker.
Cornerbacks
- Presumed in: Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw, Brian Branch
- Emmanuel Moseley: 10 votes
- Khalil Dorsey: 10 votes
- Kindle Vildor: 7 votes
- Steven Gilmore: 2 votes
The fact that none of these bubble players have a unanimous decision among our staff shows just how competitive this room is. Moseley has starter potential, but it’s hard to know how healthy he is and how much he’s still got in him after back-to-back seasons ending in ACL tears. Dorsey brings a ton of special teams value, but he struggled in a defensive role last year. Vildor is good, veteran depth to have, but only has limited special teams experience. Gilmore was good enough to spend all of 2023 on the Lions’ 53-man roster but only played a total of 14 snaps, so it’s hard to know where he is in his development.
In short, all four of these players have serious questions to answer in order to justify a roster spot.
Safety
- Presumed in: Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu
- C.J. Moore: 10 votes
- Brandon Joseph: 0 votes
I’m a little surprised by the results here, as Brandon Joseph was one of the final “cuts” we made in our 53-man roster prediction from earlier this week. The staff spoke very highly of his progress last year .
“B-Jo is one of those guys who noticeably improved last year,” coach Dan Campbell said last month. “He didn’t get a chance to play in the season necessarily, but to play defensive reps, he’s kind of one of those—boy you wish you could’ve gotten him up though. There was a comfort level by the end of the year like, ‘Man this guy we think could probably go in there and hold his own a little bit.’”
But it appears everyone else on staff had the same issue of just finding a spot on the roster for him. If Joseph can’t make the team, he’s a shoo-in for a second year on the practice squad, assuming he isn’t claimed on waivers.
Kicker
- Michael Badgley: 10 votes
- Jake Bates: 1 vote
Another surprising vote, as most of our staff is sticking with incumbent kicker Michael Badgley. To be fair, Badgley has been better than most have given him credit for, and if the spring is any indication, he has actually added some of the missing strength that was his weakness last year. The allure of UFL sensation Jake Bates apparently wasn’t enough to convince our staff. Bates’ big leg is certainly tempting, and the route from alternate football league to the NFL has certainly been paved by others (see Cowboys and former USFL kicker Brandon Aubrey, who is already considered one of the best in the NFL).
Long snapper
- Scott Daly: 10 votes
- Hogan Hatten: 1 vote
Again, we’re mostly sticking with the incumbent. Daly has been fine in two years at the job, but it certainly is telling that the Lions keep bringing in competition. But can an undrafted rookie unseat him? Hard to say.