Final 2024 Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction (Erik Schlitt edition)

Erik Schlitt makes his final predictions for the 2024 Detroit Lions initial 53-man roster.

With the Detroit Lions final preseason game on the books, the front office and coaching staff are now tasked with reducing their 90 man roster down to 53 players in preparation of the regular season. Final decisions are due by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday and are expected roll in over the next few days.

Typically Jeremy Reisman and I publish a joint projections of the Lions 53-man roster, but at this final stage, we opted to do individual predictions to help readers understand what we each believe the Lions will decide—note: not what we would do.

If you missed Jeremy’s 53-man roster prediction , be sure to check it out, but without further ado, here is how I see things playing out.

Quarterbacks (3)

Jared Goff
Hendon Hooker
Nate Sudfeld
Jake Fromm

Right off the bat, we get to see an illustration of the difference between what I would do versus what I believe the team will do. Personally, I am comfortable without only Hooker as the primary backup to Goff, but early last week, coach Dan Campbell made it clear the team was leaning toward keeping three quarterbacks.

“Hooker is a young developing quarterback and he needs reps and he needs time. I do know that,” Campbell said. “And Nate right now has the upper hand because he’s played more. He’s been in it more, he’s seen it more, and so with that, that would tell you there’s a good chance you could keep three (quarterbacks on the 53-man roster).”

Running back (4)

Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki
Jermar Jefferson
Zonovan Knight
Jake Funk

The first four are set, but Jefferson was steadily progressing toward forcing the Lions to consider keeping a fifth back, but a recent injury limited his opportunities and hurt those chances. Knight also improved throughout training camp, but not enough to sway me into thinking the Lions are in a “must keep” situation. Funk played well down the stretch and made a case for him to challenge the other two for potential spots on the practice squad.

Wide receiver (4)

Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Kalif Raymond
Isaiah Williams
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Daurice Fountain
Maurice Alexander
Kaden Davis
Tom Kennedy
Jalon Calhoun

As I said in my stock report from preseason game 3 , the elephant in the room for this team is that their WR-X is not currently on the roster. Peoples-Jones has been given every opportunity to show he was capable of seizing the job but his production has declined since the opening game of the preseason. Fountain looked to have a firm grasp of the job at one point in training camp, but he also let it slip from his grip and never recovered.

With no WR-X making the roster, it creates one big problem and one big opportunity.

First, the Lions need to find a WR-X and their options are limited. They could simply wait for roster cuts to happen and put in a waiver claim (but they’re way down the list in the pecking order, as positioning is based on last season’s record), or they could attempt to make a trade with a team looking to gain something for a player on their roster bubble. Personally, I would try my hardest to make a trade and not leave it up to hoping a player becomes available.

The opportunity that is created in this situation falls at the feet of rookie UDFA Isaiah Williams. Throughout the preseason, Williams has been one of the most productive offensive players on the Lions roster. While he has shown little positional versatility on offense—he’s been primarily lining up in the slot—Williams has been working on expanding that with the help of Kalif Raymond. Williams has also been dynamic as a return option on special teams, which helps him further his case for the roster. Is that enough to justify a WR5 spot? Williams believes so.

“I mean, in a way, yeah,” Williams responded when asked if he believed he had done enough to make this team. “At the end of the day, you never know. You trying to set up a team to win a championship, and you never know how that is supposed to be set up. But I hope I did enough and showed them that I fit along with that winning culture.”

Tight end (4)

Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra
Parker Hesse
James Mitchell
Sean McKeon

With Hesse taking all the Lions fullback snaps and contributing on special teams, he seems to have carved out a role on this roster. As a result, the competition for the final spot came down to Zylstra and Mitchell battling it out. Moving on from Mitchell was a difficult choice for me but I based my decision on how and when the Lions deployed the duo. Zylstra has been consistently ahead—even if it’s only been slightly—all of training camp, and that carries weight.

Offensive tackle (5)

Taylor Decker
Penei Sewell
Dan Skipper
Colby Sorsdal
Giovanni Manu
Jamarco Jones

Skipper worked his way into a OT3 role early in camp and has held up while others have struggled with consistency. Sorsdal has definitely had an up and down camp, but he is still very early in his career and the team loves his positional range—he can also play guard—and upside. Manu will take up a developmental role on the roster, and while he is making quick progress, he may still be at least a year away from finding the field.

Interior offensive line (4)

Frank Ragnow
Graham Glasgow
Kevin Zeitler
Kayode Awosika
Michael Niese
Kingsley Eguakun
Bryan Hudson
Duke Clemons
Jake Burton

NFI: Christian Mahogany

Awosika hasn’t gotten a run with the starter during training camp, as Niese and Eguakun did, but the Lions have a firm grasp on what he can do, as he has played snaps in big moments for this franchise. The fact that they didn’t play him in the final preseason game is a good illustration of the fact that they didn’t need to see more and were comfortable keeping him healthy.

Looks for the Lions to make a hard push to try and retain Eguakun on the practice squad, as he has arguably the highest ceiling amongst the cut players, and could develop quickly.

Mahogany was unable to get to a spot where he could practice during training camp, and while he is in Allen Park and working with trainers, it appears he is not ready. Keeping him on the NFI and allowing him time to get his body back where it needs to be is likely in the best interest of both the player and the team.

Defensive tackle (6)

Alim McNeill
DJ Reader — removed from PUP
Levi Onwuzurike
Kyle Peko
Brodric Martin
Mekhi Wingo
Chris Smith

Keeping six defensive tackles may seem like a lot, but it’s easy to justify this initial projection. The Lions base five-man front calls for three down defensive linemen, creating opportunities for McNeill, Onwuzurike, and a nose tackle. At nose tackle, the Lions have two players injured, with Reader—their prized free agent—likely to be removed from the PUP and slowly acclimated back into football shape, as well as Martin—a developing, young mountain of a man—who was injured on Saturday. That opens the door to keeping the veteran Peko on the roster and allowing the Lions to reassess in a few weeks.

Defensive end (4)

Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Josh Paschal
James Houston
Isaac Ukwu
Mitchell Agude
Mathieu Betts
Pat O’Connor

IR/return: John Cominsky

The final decision I made on this 53-man projection came down to Houston vs. Ukwu. I ended up sticking with Houston because of his rare pass rushing skills and the fact that he would likely not pass through waivers, but he could also help solve the Lions problem at WR-X.

Simply put, Houston is a known commodity as a pass rusher, and could arguably be the Lions’ biggest tradable asset. Teams are willing to pay for pass rushers, and if the Lions are comfortable moving forward with Ukwu—or Agude for that matter—Houston could be an appealing option in a trade.

Cominsky ends up being one of two players who the Lions move directly to injured reserve, with the option to return later on in the season.

Linebacker (6)

Alex Anzalone
Jack Campbell
Derrick Barnes
Malcolm Rodriguez
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Ben Niemann
Ty Summers
Abraham Beauplan
Joel Iyiegbuniwe

This regime has historically kept six linebackers every season, and once again, things seemed poised to play out with another six in 2024. After returning their top five linebackers from last year, the final spot ends up going to Niemann, who has made a career in the NFL based on his special teams contributions—which will likely be his role in Detroit as well. Up until the final preseason game, I didn’t think the Lions would end up keeping six, but the fact that they didn’t risk Niemann to game action told me all I needed to know.

Cornerback (6)

Carlton Davis III
Terrion Arnold
Amik Robertson
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Khalil Dorsey
Kindle Vildor
Steven Gilmore
Essang Bassey
Javelin Guidry
Rachad Wildgoose

IR/return: Emmanuel Moseley

When injuries hit this group during training camp, opportunities opened for Dorsey and Vildor to solidify their spots on the roster and they did just that. This group has looked settled at six for a few weeks now, and the fact that none of them played in the finale makes this look like the most likely scenario.

Moseley becomes the Lions’ other player moved directly to injured reserve with the opportunity to return later in the season.

Safety (4)

Brian Branch
Kerby Joseph
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Brandon Joseph
Loren Strickland
C.J. Moore
Chelen Garnes

Another challenging position group to finalize, as Moore and Strickland both offered the Lions something unique. Moore is a dynamic special teams player but his usage on defense during the preseason was underwhelming. Strickland showed impressive range to line up at safety and in the slot, contributed on special teams, and hit like a truck, but his exclusion came down to a numbers game.

One of the more interesting wrinkles surrounds the health of Melifonwu, who is reportedly dealing with an Achilles injury and has not been responding in the manner the team had hoped for . If Melifonwu is going to miss time—which seems like a real possibility—don’t be surprised if he ends up on IR/return and Strickland or Moore finds their way onto the roster.

Specialists (3)

Jack Fox (P)
Jake Bates (K)
Scott Daly (LS)
Hogan Hatten (LS)

Fox is a stud and Bates is a weapon the Lions feel comfortable with developing, leaving Daly vs. Hatten as the final roster decision. Hatten is one of the more athletic long snappers in the NFL, and his coverage range is enticing, but this role will come down to who can snap the ball with consistency and accuracy, which is why I am siding with the incumbent Daly.