Looking at several Detroit Lions players who improved their roster chances after solid games against the Los Angeles Chargers.
While the Detroit Lions ’ overall performance against the Los Angeles Chargers was terrible on so many levels, team success is not very important in the preseason. These games are focused more on the individuals. Which roster bubble players are improving? Who is listening to the coaching staff and doing their jobs? And who among the 60+ players who played could actually help the Lions win in 2025 and beyond?
In that essence, there were undoubtedly some good performances if you dig deeper than the big picture stuff.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions player improved their roster chances the most vs. the Chargers?
My answer: Well, some of the best performers on Thursday were players whose roster spot is not much in question. Players like Ahmed Hassanein, Rock Ya-Sin, and Isaac TeSlaa were pretty heavy favorites to make the 53-man roster before the game. Now they seem like locks, but that doesn’t represent too much of an overall change, in my opinion.
However, there were a handful of players I thought who entered the game on the outside of the roster bubble and should now be considered serious contenders for a spot on the 53.
On the offensive line, I thought there were three standouts from players on the roster bubble. Both Kayode Awosika and Netane Muti are likely fighting for a single roster spot between them, and I thought both made fantastic cases for themselves. Awosika was maybe the most consistent player out there, which shows why the Lions have kept him around for years. Muti, though was just as good. Further down the depth chart, I thought it was a very encouraging game from Colby Sorsdal. Having seemingly settled in at guard now, Sorsdal was fantastic on the right side in the second half, particularly in the run game. He still has a long ways to go, but with three more preseason games left, Sorsdal could make a serious case that he’s finally reached that level of development that the coaching staff has been waiting for.
Additionally, I think the third-string tight end job has tightened up after really solid performances from Kenny Yeboah and Zach Horton. I though both were absolutely fantastic in the running game, with much of Yeboah’s work done inline vs. Horton’s time split between tight end and fullback. Hopefully Yeboah’s injury isn’t serious, because after a relatively quiet camp, Thursday night was a significant step in the right direction for him. Shane Zylstra is likely still in the lead for the job, because he’s the more well-rounded player, but I do think this is a real competition now.
Which player do you think improved their roster chances the most on Thursday night? Scroll down to the comment section and offer your thoughts!