We’ve reached the final week of August and in the NFL that means all 32 teams start to trim their rosters down. To reach the 53-man roster, there’s always some tough decisions made by front offices across the league. But business is business and these decisions have to be made. As we await those decisions, I’ve decided to look at the Lions roster to give some thoughts, opinions and predictions!
WR Isaac TeSlaa is WR3 in the Lions offense
Maybe this comes as a surprise to some people or maybe it doesn’t but I think this has become clear. Aside from Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the number three receiver in the Lions offense is Isaac TeSlaa. That’s nothing against Tim Patrick or Kalif Raymond but the rookies first summer in the NFL has been much stronger than some have expected.
When watching TeSlaa run routes, block on the perimeter or run after the catch, he looks oddly similar to Puka Nacua. I’d have to doubt that TeSlaa puts up the same receiving stats as Nacua did as a rookie because there’s just so many mouths to feed in the Lions offense but I digress. An exciting time for the Lions offense as it continues to become more dynamic with so many pieces to the puzzle.
Hendon Hooker is on the way out?
When the Lions begin to trim their roster to 53 players, we should all pay attention to what happens with Hendon Hooker. It’s evident that he’s the odd man out in the Lions quarterback room unless they ultimately decide to carry three quarterbacks on the roster. However, recent comments made from Dan Campbell suggests that timing is running out for Hooker in Detroit.
When speaking to the media over the weekend, Campbell said, “…How much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes does the player need a change of scenery?” It does feel like Campbell is rooting for Hooker and even gave him some flowers for being prepared and ready.
While that’s half the battle, the other half is performing at a level that sustains trust in your coaches and teammates. With far too many performances this summer with shaky execution, it’s hard to envision Hooker being a lock to make the 53-man roster for the Lions.
Defensive line depth gets interesting
Without getting into too much detail, the Lions do have plenty of tough decisions along their defensive line. Some of that is based off the health of players such as Mekhi Wingo, Alim McNeill and Josh Paschal. Where are those guys at health wise? It felt like Paschal was on track to return in September but that’s becoming a bit unclear as we reach the end of August. The injury to Ahmed Hassanein opens the door for players such as Nate Lynn and Al-Quadin Muhammad at defensive end but again, there’s still a lot of uncertainty with this group.
As we learned early in the summer, the Lions would be without Levi Onwuzurike for the season. Fortunately, it looks and feels like Keith Cooper could be a potential replacement for that role. Throughout August, we’ve seen Cooper stack good practices on top of mediocre preseason game performances. However, his usage with the first team, size and versatility, indicate that we should expect him on the roster.
If Cooper makes the roster, that could close the door for players such as Mitchell Agude, Myles Adams, Isaac Ukwu and Brodric Martin. Without question, the bigger name of the bunch is Martin because as we know, the Lions traded multiple draft picks to acquire him in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Much like Hooker, it just isn’t working out for Martin in Detroit. If this is the end for both players, it would be nice to see the Lions potentially work out a trade or two to get something back for them.
Practice squad players worth watching
I’ll add a few players to this list but without question, the top two players worth watching on the Lions practice squad is TE/FB Zach Horton and DB D.J. Miller. Starting with Horton, he was heavily used in the run game as a fullback and H-back for the Lions this preseason. I don’t believe Horton will start on the 53-man roster due to some penalty concerns and some cleanup with his technique. However, if offensive coordinator John Morton envisions his offense to feature a player with Horton’s skillset, we may end up seeing him on the roster sooner rather than later.
As for D.J. Miller, I thought he flashed enough on Saturday against the Texans to warrant a practice squad spot. Up to this point, Miller has been better than Luq Barcoo, Dicaprio Bootle and Allan George. Meanwhile, I felt like Miller had some decent run fits against the Texans. We know how much the Lions can appreciate physical football players.
Lastly, will we see Dominic Lovett and Jackson Meeks on the practice squad or the 53-man roster? Meeks has been the better player up to this point but the Lions did invest the draft capital to select Lovett. Regardless, both receivers still need some time so there may be no real rush to have either player on the depth chart. Unless, of course, either player is viewed as potential waiver claims to another team. I’ll be watching this one closely.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions roster thoughts ahead of the cutdown deadline
Reporting by Russell Brown, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
