Our staff makes prediction for the final roster spots on defense after Week 1 of Detroit Lions training camp.
Over the past week, there has been a lot of shifting on the Detroit Lions’ defense. Due to injuries, some surprise performances, and just so many reserve spots up for grabs, the Lions’ roster bubble is growing on defense.
Last week, when we made our initial roster predictions in our weekly Bubble Watch series, we had 18 players whom we deemed to be on the roster bubble. That number has ballooned to 23 this week!
Here are our staff’s latest predictions for the final roster spots on defense.
See our latest predictions on offense here.
Edge defender:
- Assumed in: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport
- New to bubble watch: Josh Paschal (from “safe” to “bubble”)
Voting:
- Al-Quadin Muhammad: 11 “IN” votes (no change)
- Ahmed Hassanein: 11 votes (no change)
- Josh Paschal: 8 votes (N/A)
- Nate Lynn: 0 votes (down 1 vote)
- Mitchell Agude: 0 votes (no change)
- Isaac Ukwu: 0 votes (no change)
Despite not yet practicing in team drills yet, the staff remains fully behind Al-Quadin Muhammad. The same goes for developmental draft pick Ahmed Hassanein, who has had some flashes early, but is clearly on the long-term track.
The biggest question here is: when will Josh Paschal be ready? We had assumed at the beginning of the season, but he remains on the Non-Football Injury list, and coach Dan Campbell’s latest update was fairly non-committal:
“Paschal will be just a tick longer (than Decker), probably early September. Labor Day maybe we can start working him into practice. That’s the plan right now.”
If Paschal can hit that deadline, he’ll likely avoid entering the season on an injury list and will, therefore, count against the roster. Of course, it’s not completely out of the question that Detroit could cut him, but it would be the first time Brad Holmes has cut a Day 2 pick of his.
Defensive tackle:
- Assumed in: DJ Reader, Tyleik Williams, Roy Lopez
- Assumed out: Alim McNeill (PUP), Levi Onwuzurike (PUP)
- New to bubble watch: Raequan Williams (upgraded to bubble)
- New to bubble watch: Keith Cooper Jr. (upgraded to bubble)
Voting:
- Pat O’Connor: 11 votes (up 4)
- Mekhi Wingo: 10 votes (down 1)
- Keith Cooper Jr.: 1 vote (N/A)
- Brodric Martin: 0 votes
- Chris Smith: 0 votes
- Raequan Williams: 0 votes
Pat O’Connor was one of the biggest winners from Week 1 of Lions training camp. Not only did he stand to benefit most from the Levi Onwuzurike injury news, but his versatility gives him multiple opportunities to make the roster, and Campbell is clearly a big fan.
“He’s a pretty smooth athlete for a big man. Played the nose, played the three, played the big end. He is, he’s versatile, and that’s why he just keeps competing to stay on rosters because it’s hard to ignore a guy like him,” Campbell said last week. “He just, he does so many different jobs. You know if you get him into the game, you’re going to be able to use him, I mean there’s no question.”
With all of the injuries at defensive tackle, it gave some extra opportunities to Keith Cooper Jr. and Raequan Williams, but only Cooper—who is similarly versatile—earned a vote this week.
Wingo is another tough injury decision given the information currently available. Campbell’s latest update projected a September return for him.
Linebacker
- Assumed in: Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Grant Stuard
- Assumed out: Malcolm Rodriguez (PUP)
- Trevor Nowaske: 11 votes (up 2)
- Zach Cunningham: 10 (up 8)
- Ezekiel Turner: 1 vote (down 3)
- Anthony Pittman: 0 votes (down 8)
The biggest winner of Week 1 of camp is Zach Cunningham. Granted the opportunity by Alex Anzalone’s absence, Cunningham took the majority of first-team WILL linebacker reps during the entire week. The veteran linebacker, with 86 NFL starts, did not look out of place often and gives Detroit some reliable defense depth while they wait for Malcolm Rodriguez to return.
His roster spot appears to come at the expense of Anthony Pittman, who, in my opinion, hasn’t done much of anything wrong. He’s still a good special teamer, but he’s just repping late in camp.
Trevor Nowaske gets a mild bump to a unanimous “IN,” likely because he remains Detroit’s best option as a SAM backup while also providing plenty on special teams.
Cornerbacks:
- Assumed in: Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw
- New to bubble watch: Khalil Dorsey (from “safe” to “bubble”)
Voting:
- Khalil Dorsey: 11 votes
- Rock Ya-Sin: 6 votes (down 4)
Last we heard, Dorsey was the closest of the injured players to return, yet he still hasn’t. I dragged him down to the bubble this week, but everyone on staff still thinks the corner will make the roster.
That said, we did see a pretty dynamic shift in Ya-Sin’s voting, and his four lost votes seem to have been spread across different positions, including…
Safeties:
- Assumed in: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Avonte Maddox
- New to bubble watch: Erick Hallett (upgraded to bubble)
Voting:
- Dan Jackson: 10 votes (down 1)
- Morice Norris: 3 votes (up 2)
- Loren Strickland: 0 votes (down 2)
- Ian Kennelly: 0 votes
- Erick Hallett: 0 votes
I’m fascinated by the safety depth battle. Personally, I opted to keep a fifth for the first time, and that’s because there’s so much versatility in this room. Just about everyone can drop in and play nickel if they need to. Meanwhile, Erick Hallett—who jumps up to the bubble this week—has played a significant amount of outside corner while Detroit deals with injuries there.
Yet among all the depth, it’s only Norris who has earned some votes. He’s got a year of experience in this defense, and his intensity—even when it crossed a line and got him kicked out of practice—fits exactly what the Lions are looking for.