Our staff makes their 53-man roster predictions for players on the Detroit Lions roster bubble—on defense.
As training camp continues and evolves into the preseason, we’re getting a better understanding of where the Detroit Lions roster stands. That said, with so much overhaul on the defensive side of the ball—and a ton of players repping at several positions—it’s hard to make sense of everything.
Like we’ll do after every week of training camp, our staff made their predictions for the roster battles on defense by predicting which players we think will make the 53-man roster (“IN”) and which will be on the outside looking in (“OUT”).
Here are our latest predictions after two weeks of camp:
Edge defenders
- Presumed in: Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Paschal
- Marcus Davenport: 11 “IN” votes (no change)
- James Houston: 11 votes (up 2)
- Mathieu Betts: 2 votes (down 3)
- Mitchell Agude: 1 vote (no change)
- OFF OF BUBBLE WATCH: John Cominsky (long-term injury)
John Cominsky was only garnering a couple of votes, so his long-term injury doesn’t move the needle that much this week. Coach Dan Campbell made it pretty clear the current plan is to place him on injured reserve at cutdowns , so we’re taking him off the bubble completely. He’s out.
The biggest move this week amongst the edge rusher position was with Mathieu Betts, and it’s easy to understand why. Campbell didn’t mince words when talking about him last week regarding his struggles learning the SAM position.
“I think he’s playing a little bit slower than we would like, so we’re going to take some that off his plate before we start him back up in there a little bit and just let him get his feet back under him,” Campbell said. “And I can’t say that I’m surprised with that. It’s just totally new.”
Campbell reiterated that again on Monday, which seems to show that James Houston has a pretty strong lead as the team’s backup SAM behind Derrick Barnes. Betts, instead, will have to show his chops as a pure defensive end, and the room is a little crowded there.
Defensive tackle
- Presumed in: DJ Reader, Alim McNeill, Brodric Martin
- Mekhi Wingo: 11 votes (no change)
- Levi Onwuzurike: 11 votes (no change)
- NEW TO BUBBLE WATCH: Kyle Peko: 2 votes
- Chris Smith: 0 votes (no change)
We’ve added veteran Kyle Peko to the mix, as the Lions try to figure out their starting nose tackle while DJ Reader remains unable to practice. Next week, we’ll likely add Reader to Bubble Watch, as it’s unclear if he’ll start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list or not.
In the meantime, it’s mostly been Peko working with the first team over Brodric Martin. We still don’t have Martin on the roster bubble, given Detroit’s long-term investment in him. But we’re inching closer to having that conversation. Do the Lions have enough room on their 53-man roster for two developmental projects in Martin and offensive tackle Giovanni Manu?
Linebackers
- Presumed in: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- DaRon Gilbert: 0 votes (no change)
- Ben Niemann: 0 votes (no change)
We’re still sticking with just five linebackers, as Detroit is lacking extra roster spots for a player who is likely special teams only.
Cornerbacks
- Presumed in: Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw
- Emmanuel Moseley: 11 votes (no change)
- Khalil Dorsey: 11 votes (up 1)
- Kindle Vildor: 1 votes (down 3)
- Steven Gilmore: 0 votes (down 5)
As Dorsey remains one of the top special teams options on the entire team, he’s now moved to a unanimous “IN.” Emmanuel Moseley stays there, as he has flashed his versatility as a nickel corner and has remained healthy despite the back-to-back ACL tears.
Our staff appears to be making some roster spots clearance in the cornerback room, and it’s not surprising to see Gilmore as the latest casualty. He’s slowed after a strong start to camp, and, again, Campbell didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Gilmore has got ability and I still feel like he needs a whole other notch,” Campbell said last week. “He can take a whole other notch up. He’s got natural instincts, he’s pretty competitive, cover skills, and so he’s one of those guys—look, he’s worked at it, but I expect more out of him. I just do because I think he’s an instinctive player, so we need him to take a big jump this training camp.”
If there is room for a seventh cornerback, it’ll almost certainly be between Kindle Vildor and Gilmore, but both will have to have a strong preseason to make that case.
Safety
- Presumed in: Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brian Branch
- C.J. Moore: 8 votes (down 1)
- Brandon Joseph: 3 votes (up 1)
- NEW TO BUBBLE WATCH: Morice Norris: 0 votes
Undrafted rookie Morice Norris makes his debut on the bubble after a very strong start to camp. While he doesn’t have any votes among our staff yet, he’s very much worth considering. The Lions almost always keep on undrafted rookie on the active roster and he seems to be the most likely candidate at the moment.
That said, C.J. Moore remains the best special teamer of the group, and his battle with second-year safety Brandon Joseph remains back-and-forth.
Kicker
- Jake Bates: 6 votes (down 5)
After a very tough practice on Friday, our staff has clearly lost a lot of faith in Jake Bates as the team’s kicker. At this point, he’s running unopposed, but if he struggles in the preseason game against the Giants, the Lions almost have to bring in competition.
Long snapper
- Scott Daly: 10 votes (no change)
- Hogan Hatten: 1 vote (no change)
No changes here, but it’s worth pointing out that Daly regularly reps as the first long snapper in practice.