The Lions’ 53-man roster is set, but the work isn’t over. Detroit has begun rebuilding its practice squad, and several intriguing players are back, but one surprising name is headed elsewhere.
With all 32 NFL teams officially submitting their 53-man rosters, the Detroit Lions have now began to building out their practice squad.
Detroit kept a full 53-man roster and did not make a waiver claim on any players released by other teams. The Lions also did not lose a single player to another team through the waiver process.
That is good news for Detroit, as the team will be able to bring back most of the players it wanted to retain on the practice squad.
One player who won’t be returning to Detroit, however, is wide receiver Greg Dortch. Dortch has signed with the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, marking one of the more surprising twists of the last few days. Dortch appeared to be a strong candidate to serve as the Lions’ fourth wide receiver, but he will now continue his career with another team.
Each NFL team is allowed to carry 16 players on its practice squad, and Detroit has currently filled 14 of those spots.
The Lions have brought back Luke Altmyer, Joe Bachie, Aamaris Brown, Devin Cochran, Thomas Gordon, Lucky Jackson, Mason Miller, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Chris Smith, Ben Stille, Tyre West, Nick Whiteside, Anthony Lucas and Tom Kennedy.
For me, the players who stand out the most are Altmyer, Whiteside, West and Lucas.
When Altmyer was released, I was concerned that another team could potentially claim him. However, after a disappointing performance in his final preseason game, perhaps he did just enough to make other teams pass on him. Either way, Detroit gets to keep a young quarterback it clearly liked enough to bring back.
Lucas is another intriguing player. The pass rusher has impressive physical measurements and appears to have all the tools you want to see from an NFL prospect, but he hasn’t quite been able to put everything together on the field. Having him develop on the practice squad could be an interesting situation for the Lions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets an opportunity later this season.
Another player I’m happy to see back with Detroit is Whiteside.
Initially, I had Whiteside not only making the 53-man roster but potentially earning the Lions’ No. 3 cornerback job. However, after a couple of rough preseason performances, his stock appeared to slip, ultimately leading to Detroit releasing him.
I still believe Whiteside has serious upside, and I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see him eventually make his way onto the active roster at some point this season.
With Greg Dortch no longer in the picture, many Lions fans thought this could finally be the year Tom Kennedy made the roster. Kennedy has been with Detroit since 2019 but has yet to make an opening-day roster.
Kennedy appeared to have a legitimate opportunity this year, especially as a potential return specialist. In the end, though, he will return to the practice squad as a player Detroit can rely on if injuries strike.
The Lions keeping just four wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster makes Kennedy even more intriguing. If Detroit suffers an injury at the position, I believe there is a good chance we could see Kennedy get his opportunity on the active roster at some point this season.
Overall, Detroit has done a solid job retaining several of the young players who were competing for roster spots. While losing Dortch is certainly disappointing, the Lions still have plenty of intriguing talent on their practice squad that could contribute if called upon.
