Pride of Detroit
We’re just over a week away from the Detroit Lions opening training camp for the 2026 season. With that in mind, I figured now was a good time to give my own perspective on the team’s 90-man roster and what it may look like after the dust of camp and the preseason has settled. Obviously, the outlook of this projection will change over the next month as the players jockey for spots. But here’s how I believe the roster stands before the players take the field.
QB Jared Goff
QB Teddy Bridgewater
QB Luke Altmyer
I am not counting out rookie UDFA Luke Altmyer winning a roster spot by the end of training camp, but the much more likely scenario is that he sticks around on the practice squad to continue his development. But if he balls out in the preseason, it could produce an interesting conversation.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
RB Isiah Pacheco
RB Sione Vaki
RB Jacob Saylors
RB Kye Robichaux
RB Jabari Small
Gibbs through Vaki are essentially locks to me. The question is whether Detroit should carry a fourth running back. Generally, they do, and when the Lions chose Saylors over Craig Reynolds last season, I think it was a revelation of how much they value his special teams.
TE Sam LaPorta
TE Brock Wright
TE Tyler Conklin
TE Zach Horton
TE Thomas Gordon
TE Miles Kitselman
The Lions have recently only kept three tight ends on their roster, but I do wonder if last year’s depleted depth will make them reconsider in 2026. It’s hard for me to pick between Horton, Gordon, and Kitselman with little observations on each.
If Drew Petzing plans on running more 13 personnel in Detroit, the Lions would almost certainly keep a fourth. However, they also invested highly in their wide receiver group, so I’m not convinced 13 personnel is coming to Detroit. Therefore, I’m keeping three tight ends for now.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR Jameson Williams
WR Isaac TeSlaa
WR Greg Dortch
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
WR Dominic Lovett
WR Jackson Meeks
WR Tom Kennedy
WR Tay Martin
WR Lawrence Keys
WR Lucky Jackson
WR Tarik Black
WR Malik Cunningham
When I made my initial picks for the 53-man roster, I was only at 52 players with Dominic Lovett out. He’s thus far underwhelmed as both a receiver (too many drops) and special teams (just 50 snaps his rookie season). However, Detroit invested in him, and he could see a Year 2 jump. I very much considered Jackson Meeks here, especially considering I went light at tight end, but I still think he is a work in progress at both WR and TE.
OT Blake Miller
OT Penei Sewell
OT Larry Borom
OT Giovanni Manu
OT Devin Cochran
Giovanni Manu was also one of my last players in. Admittedly, he may spend most weeks as an inactive in this role,...
