The Detroit Lions have established a 67-man roster so far. They currently have 52 players on their active roster and another 15 on their practice squad. While that leaves one player to add on each squad, it’s fair to say that most of the team’s roster maneuvering is done. There will almost certainly be tinkering each week, but Detroit has certainly made a statement with their selections so far.
Throughout training camp, fans and analysts start to build their cases for certain players to make the roster. And as confident as we may be in our own assessments, they almost never match the team’s opinions with 100 percent accuracy. So, naturally, there are going to be some disagreements.
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions player do you think should have made the team?
My answer: For simplicity’s sake, let’s limit this conversation to player who missed both the 53-man roster and the practice squad. Without a doubt, there are some surprising names on this list. The four that stand out to me the most are:
- G Netane Muti
- EDGE Nate Lynn
- S Ian Kennelly
- S Morice Norris
Muti, in my opinion, is solid, veteran depth. Detroit, instead, opted to go with youth within their reserves. Behind the starting five, Detroit’s interior offensive line includes Kayode Awosika, Kingsley Eguakun, Trystan Colon, Mason Miller, and Michael Niese. Colon and Awosika are the only ones with reasonable experience, and I was surprised to see the Lions keeping all three of their depth centers (Eguakun, Colon, and Niese). Even more surprising was keeping Miller over Muti. Miller really struggled at offensive tackle for all of camp, and while he was better when they shifted him to guard, I still thought Muti was the better option.
Lynn flashed his pass rushing abilities both in training camp and the preseason, but given his struggles as an edge setter and run defender, it’s not completely surprising Detroit looked elsewhere for EDGE depth. However, even with the waiver claim of Tyrus Wheat, I think Detroit is a bit too thin at the position.
For Kennelly and Norris, I am simply surprised Detroit opted not to keep two developmental options at safety. While they kept Loren Strickland and Erick Hallett (who also plays corner) for that reason, I certainly thought there was room to bring at least one more back. It seems like one of those players returning would be more valuable than, say, keeping three backup centers or three wide receivers on the practice squad.
Which player do you think should have made either the 53-man roster or the practice squad? Share your answer in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
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