Pride of Detroit
Our predictions for every Detroit Lions training camp battle on the defensive side of the ball.
The Detroit Lions defense went through a ridiculous amount of injuries last year, highlighting the importance of depth in any roster.
This year, there remains a ton of top-end talent at every level of the defense, and the depth seems good in many spots, as well. However, with unexpected injury news already hitting the defense, it appears that depth will be tested again.
But who will win those depth jobs in Lions training camp? Our staff made their predictions for the bubble players on defense below. You can see our predictions for the offensive side of the ball here.
No drama at the edge defender position to start camp. However, with the lingering feeling that the Lions could possibly add Za’Darius Smith at any time, it would make for some interesting, tough decisions ahead. If the Lions were to sign Smith, I imagine that would put Muhammad firmly on the bubble, but we could also see the Lions carry a sixth EDGE and forfeit a player at a different position.
The shocking news that Levi Onwuzurike will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and miss at least four games has opened up a significant opportunity in the defensive tackle room. As of right now, the biggest benefactor is Pat O’Connor, whom I originally had as OUT, but changed when the Onwuzurike news dropped Thursday afternoon.
Suddenly the depth of this room doesn’t look quite as good, and Detroit may be heavily relying on first-round pick Tyleik Williams to take on an immediate role while Onwuzurike and (presumably) Alim McNeill heal up.
This, by far, is the most competitive room on the Lions’ roster. All four roster bubble players have proven to be useful in the past. Everyone but Nowaske has at least 56 games of NFL experience, primarily on special teams. But the reason Nowaske leads the way is because he played 14 games for the Lions last year, including two starts. The Lions were very excited to get Nowaske back after briefly losing him in 2023.
In short, all four of these players could play a role, and given that Detroit has kept up to seven linebackers on their 53-man roster—meaning...
