Pride of Detroit
Erik Schlitt and Jeremy Reisman put their heads together for an updated Lions 53-man roster projection.
The Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Chargers opened up the 2025 preseason on Thursday, and that means it’s time for another installment of our 53-man roster projection.
As has become tradition, Jeremy Reisman and I collaborate on this projection in an attempt to give you a balanced look at where the roster sits coming out of the summer break. We come together to debate the roster, fight for our favorites, and compromise when possible. We will publish updated collaborative editions of the 53-man projection throughout training camp. Then, at cutdowns, we will each publish our own projections.
Let’s get started.
Note: An asterisk (*) denotes the player is a rookie
Jared Goff
Hendon Hooker
Kyle Allen
Jeremy:
Despite Kyle Allen starting the preseason game and looking much better on Thursday, we’re sticking with Hendon Hooker as the backup. It was a disappointing night for the third-year quarterback, but just one piece of the scouting puzzing, and coach Dan Campbell even found some positives from Hooker’s performance. I’m eager to see how much better Hooker will look when he plays with the second-team offense rather than the third-team.
Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki
Kye Robichaux*
Jabari Small
Jacob Saylors
Erik: This competition continues to be very straightforward, as most expect the Lions to roll with the same four running backs from last season. With the changes we’ve seen in the last few seasons on special teams, players like Reynolds and Vaki have become extremely valuable.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Tim Patrick
Kalif Raymond
Isaac TeSlaa*
Dominic Lovett*
Jackson Meeks*
Tom Kennedy
Jakobie Keeney-James*
Ronnie Bell
Malik Taylor
Jeremy:
Despite a couple of errors, Lovett seemed to create some distance from the depth receivers on the team for the final roster spot. Of the five players we’re cutting here, only one made a catch in Thursday’s preseason game: Jackson Meeks. Lovett, on the other hand, was consistently open and hauled in five catches on nine targets. The competition isn’t over, but he’s got a commanding lead, in my mind.
Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra
Kenny Yeboah
Zach Horton*
Erik: Yeboah showed off his blocking prowess against the Chargers, and Horton displayed his range to play multiple positions, but Zylstra remains the most complete tight end amongst the reserves and is firmly holding onto the TE3 spot.
Penei Sewell
Taylor Decker (Active/PUP)
Dan Skipper
Giovanni Manu
Jamarco Jones
Mason Miller*
Jeremy:
I’ll admit I’m starting to wonder if Dan Skipper is on shaky ground, considering he essentially played all of the first half of the preseason opener. Additionally, he suffered a low-ankle sprain and his availability is currently unknown. That could give Jamarco Jones a shot for the roster, but we’re not there yet.
