Making predictions for the final roster spots on the Detroit Lions offense after Week 1 of training camp.
With the first week of Detroit Lions training camp in the books, we’ve already started to see the team’s roster bubble shift. When we opened our Bubble Watch predictions last week, we assumed there were 40 players who were safe. That number has already dropped a few to 37. In other words, due to competition and some injury news, the Lions roster bubble is growing.
Over the weekend, the Pride of Detroit staff updated their predictions for the last few 2025 Lions roster spots. Here’s a look at our offensive predictions and how things shifted from last week.
Quarterback:
- Assumed in: Jared Goff
- Hendon Hooker: 11 “IN” votes (no change)
- Kyle Allen: 0 votes (no change)
After a pretty solid start to training camp, Hooker retains a strong lead on the backup job. That said, Allen was actually the backup on Day 1 of camp and has done a pretty nice job throughout practice as well. That wasn’t enough to earn any votes, but Thursday’s preseason game could shake things up.
Running back:
- Assumed in: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
As of now, there are no apparent roster spots available at running back. But if Vaki’s injury drags on longer, that could theoretically drop him to the roster bubble, as someone who could start the season on IR. It’s too premature for that now, though.
Wide receiver:
- Assumed in: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, Kalif Raymond, Isaac TeSlaa
- Dominic Lovett: 11 votes (up 1 vote)
- Ronnie Bell: 0 votes (down 1 vote)
- Tom Kennedy: 0 votes (no change)
- Jackson Meeks: 0 votes (no change)
- Jakobie Keeney-James: 0 votes (no change)
It was a strong first week of camp from all of the rookie receivers, so it makes sense that our staff is defaulting to the Lions’ seventh-round pick over the UDFAs. Ronnie Bell has flashed plays here and there, but he’s regularly repping with the third-team defense, so he’s got some work to do to earn any votes back.
Tight end:
- Assumed in: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright
- Shane Zylstra: 10 votes (up 1)
- Kenny Yeboah: 1 votes (down 1)
- Zach Horton: 0 votes
Zylstra has consistently repped higher, played better, and found himself in various roles through the first week of training camp compared to his competition. I’m still intrigued by Horton, but Zylstra’s got a steady lead right now.
Offensive tackle:
- Assumed in: Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Giovanni Manu
- Dan Skipper: 11 votes (no change)
- Jamarco Jones: 0 votes (no change)
- Colby Sorsdal: 0 votes (no change)
Even though Manu had an up-and-down start to his second training camp, we aren’t putting him on the bubble this early in his career. As a result, that likely leaves only one tackle job open, and that defaults to Dan Skipper. Skipper has been the starting left tackle all camp, and while Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport have been giving him hell, he’s still the most trusted option there.
Sorsdal is regularly repping with the third-team offense, but something to keep in mind is that he’s basically repped at all five offensive line positions in the first week of camp. They’re trying to find a place for him, and it probably makes more sense to put him at iOL in next week’s Bubble Watch, because Jones, Manu, and Mason Miller are taking most of the reserve tackle reps.
Interior offensive line:
- Assumed in: Graham Glasgow, Tate Ratledge, Christian Mahogany, Miles Frazier
- New to roster bubble: Miles Frazier (from “safe” to “bubble”)
- Kayode Awosika: 8 votes (up 2)
- Kingsley Eguakun: 6 votes (up 6)
- Netane Muti: 5 votes (no change)
- Miles Frazier: 2 votes (N/A)
- Michael Niese: 1 vote (down 1)
- Trystan Colon: 1 vote (down 1)
There may be an extra roster spot available here, because Miles Frazier could very well start the season on the PUP list. The last update we got from Dan Campbell is that Frazier is dealing with a knee injury that could have him sidelined until, “let’s call it September, October. Let’s say something like that.”
As a result, the biggest winners were Kayode Awosika—who continues to rep exclusively with the second-team offense—and Kingsley Eguakun. Eguakun is the interesting one, as he was the first in a three-man rotation for the backup center position (Day 1: Eguakun, Day 2: Niese, Day 3: Colon). If you read into rep order, that means Eguakun had the leg up entering camp, but that position will be decided by how each person plays over the next month. Working in all three’s favor is that they’re all being cross-trained at guard, as well.
Interestingly, Netane Muti hasn’t moved at all, despite the fact that he, too, is essentially only repping with the second-team offense.