The Lions’ 53-man roster is officially set, and while most of Detroit’s decisions weren’t surprising, three names stood out as unexpected choices that could have major implications.
The Detroit Lions have officially finalized their 53-man roster.
After all NFL rosters were finalized at 6 p.m. Sunday, teams became eligible to make waiver claims. Detroit ultimately kept a full 53-man roster and did not claim a single player off waivers. Even better for the Lions, none of the former Detroit players who were cut were claimed by another team.
That was good news for a handful of players, including Nick Whiteside, Luke Altmyer and Mason Miller. All three were players I had making the Lions’ final roster.
Overall, I agreed with the vast majority of Detroit’s roster decisions. However, there were three names that may have caught some people off guard.
1. Tay Martin
Martin signed with the Lions back in June after spending time in the UFL and bouncing around various teams’ practice squads. Despite having limited NFL experience, Martin found a home in Detroit and ultimately earned a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Martin was kept over Greg Dortch, who many people expected to make the team. Detroit also elected to keep just four wide receivers, which was somewhat surprising to me.
Martin didn’t have a particularly impressive preseason statistically until the finale. In his first preseason game, he caught one pass for 14 yards. In the second game, he caught one of four targets for 11 yards.
Then, in Detroit’s final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Martin stepped up, catching four of his five targets for 16 yards and a touchdown.
That performance may have helped solidify his spot on the roster.
2. Jabari Small
Small was not on my radar whatsoever when I was putting together my 53-man roster prediction, yet Detroit elected to keep him as its fifth running back.
Keeping five running backs is certainly an interesting decision, but I trust Dan Campbell and his process.
Small did not play in Detroit’s preseason finale against the Colts. In the game prior, however, he recorded three carries for 16 yards against Washington after not playing in the preseason opener against Cincinnati.
Small also played just six snaps in the Lions’ second preseason game. He finished the preseason with a 54.6 overall PFF grade and a 57.6 rushing grade.
To me, Small is by far the most puzzling player to make the roster. I simply didn’t see enough during the preseason or training camp to expect him to earn one of Detroit’s 53 roster spots.
3. Jackson Meeks
While I do believe Meeks making the roster was a surprising decision, I also understand why he made it.
Meeks has reportedly worked extremely hard throughout the offseason to earn a spot on this team, and now he has been rewarded with a place on the 53-man roster.
Meeks takes over the third tight end spot following the release of Tyler Conklin. He is viewed as a hybrid tight end/wide receiver, which could have played a major role in Detroit’s decision.
With the Lions keeping just four traditional wide receivers, having a player like Meeks who can line up in both tight end and wide receiver sets gives Detroit some additional flexibility.
In his second preseason game against the Washington Commanders, Meeks finished with the highest PFF offensive grade on the Lions. Playing 28 snaps, he posted an impressive 81.7 overall offensive grade.
Meeks also found the end zone in Detroit’s final preseason game of the year.
Detroit clearly valued Meeks’ versatility, and now he’ll have an opportunity to prove the Lions made the right decision.
