Our Detroit Lions Bubble Watch series continues, as we make tough roster predictions on offense—including wild swings at the WR position.
The Detroit Lions offense bounced back in a big way in the team’s second preseason game. After mustering just three points in a rainy contest in New Jersey, Detroit put together six scoring drives, including the game-winner, in a 24-23 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs .
For many offensive players, Saturday was an example of their promise and development—helping their case for the 53-man roster. But despite the strong overall effort of the offense, there are still huge, troubling question marks at the wide receiver position.
This week’s Bubble Watch—where our staff makes roster predictions at every tight camp battle—reflects both the good and the bad from the Chiefs game. Take a look:
Quarterback:
- Assumed in: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
- Nate Sudfeld: 0 “IN” votes (down 1)
While Sudfeld had a much better performance in Week 2 of the preseason compared to the opener, it was Hendon Hooker’s solid second half that finally pushed the veteran quarterback off the bubble unanimously. I still wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lions bring back Sudfeld on the practice squad to have a veteran in the meeting room, but it’s getting harder and harder to justify his spot on the 53-man roster.
Running back:
- Assumed in: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sione Vaki
- Craig Reynolds: 11 votes (no change)
- Jermar Jefferson: 1 vote (down 2)
- Zonovan Knight: 1 vote (up 1)
Our staff is far less inclined to roster a fifth running back after Jermar Jefferson (presumably) suffered an injury that held him out of Saturday’s contest against the Chiefs. Zonovan Knight filled in admirably, leading the running backs in yards (36) while maintaining a decent average (4.5 YPC), and that earned him one vote. But it appears our staff would rather use that roster spot somewhere else (see: OL).
Wide receiver:
- Assumed in: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond
- OFF BUBBLE WATCH: Antoine Green — on injured reserve
- Isaiah Williams: 10 votes (up 9)
- Donovan Peoples-Jones: 5 votes (up 5)
- Kaden Davis: 2 votes (up 1)
- Daurice Fountain: 0 votes (down 10)
- Maurice Alexander: 0 votes (down 2)
- Tom Kennedy 0 votes (no change)
Last week, Antoine Green and Daurice Fountain each had 10 votes. After Green’s injury and Fountain’s quick fall from grace, both are voteless. It’s a sign of how quickly things have fallen apart at Detroit’s WR-X competition.
Unsurprisingly, the two players on the move upward are Isaiah Williams and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Williams gets the most votes out of the bunch due to two strong preseason performances. His fit on the roster is still very much in question, though, as he’s best suited in the slot, where Detroit already has two capable receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond.
Peoples-Jones is also hard to justify for a roster spot. While Dan Campbell offered him a strong compliment last week and he earned a starting spot in Saturday’s preseason game, he offered next to nothing in terms of actual production on the field, catching a single pass for 5 yards.
What’s also interesting to consider: six of our staffers are only keeping four wide receivers, four are keeping five, and one is keeping six.
Tight end:
- Assumed in: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright
- Parker Hesse: 10 votes (up 1 vote)
- Shane Zylstra: 9 votes (down 1 vote)
- James Mitchell: 1 vote (no change)
- Sean McKeon: 0 votes (no change)
Hesse takes over the top spot in a narrow tight end competition. His uniqueness as the sole fullback on the team likely gives him a significant edge. The question is who will be the other tight end that makes it—if anyone? Right now, our staff is heavily in favor of Shane Zylstra, which matches how the Lions have utilized him in the pecking order. That said, Mitchell is also getting a lot of early playing time now, and this regime has rarely moved on from developmental draft picks.
Offensive tackle:
- Assumed in: Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Giovanni Manu
- Colby Sorsdal: 11 votes (no change)
- Dan Skipper: 11 votes (no change)
The loss of Connor Galvin took the intrigue out of this battle. At this point, both Colby Sorsdal and Dan Skipper seem relatively safe. Skipper did suffer an injury on Saturday night, but Campbell downplayed it after the game.
Interior offensive line:
- Assumed in: Kevin Zeitler, Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow
- Christian Mahogany: 11 votes (up 4)
- Kayode Awosika: 9 votes (down 2)
- Michael Niese: 2 votes (up 2)
- Kingsley Eguakun: 0 votes (no change)
Nothing in particular has changed in Mahogany’s status. He remains at the facility but is still on the non-football illness (NFI) list. With just a week until roster cutdowns, the Lions don’t have a ton of time to get a full evaluation on Mahogany, so I’m a bit surprised to see him as a unanimous in. Detroit could keep him on the NFI list, save a roster spot, and re-evaluate after four games. At the same time, if you want to start developing Mahogany into a playable guard, delaying him from practicing another month is not a wise choice.
Elsewhere, Michael Niese has made some noise recently, stepping in for Kevin Zeitler with the starters at right guard. It’s a bit surprising those honors didn’t go to Kayode Awosika, hence the slight change in votes this week. Niese spent all year developing on the practice squad last year, but Awosika brings more experience.