The Lions have just one preseason game left, and some surprising names could be left off the final 53-man roster. Here are three players who may be on the outside looking in.
With a little over a week remaining for the Detroit Lions to finalize their 53-man roster, I believe there are certain players on the roster bubble who you wouldn’t necessarily expect to miss the team.
Through two preseason games, several players have raised their stock, while others have seen their stock drop. With just one preseason game remaining, here are three surprising players who I believe could miss the Lions’ 53-man roster.
1. Ben Bartch
Bartch was signed in late March to a one-year, $1.2 million contract that carries a $330,000 cap hit. It wouldn’t cost Detroit much to move on from him, and he has struggled throughout training camp to stay on the field.
Bartch is competing for the left guard position alongside players such as Christian Mahogany and Juice Scruggs. With Scruggs increasingly looking like the favorite to be the Week 1 starter at center, Bartch’s chances of making the roster have improved a bit.
Bartch has dealt with a groin injury that caused him to miss valuable time during training camp, and he also suffered a concussion in mid-August. Most importantly, he has yet to play in a preseason game for Detroit.
Considering his lack of availability and the competition around him, Bartch could be one of the more surprising players to miss the final roster.
2. Miles Frazier
Frazier was a fifth-round pick by the Lions in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he has struggled at times to stay on the field and establish himself.
During his first preseason game this year, Frazier committed two holding penalties and finished with the lowest PFF grade on the Lions’ offense at 37.7.
Frazier drew another penalty against the Commanders in Detroit’s second preseason game, but he did show improvement, earning a 62.2 PFF grade with an impressive 82.5 pass-blocking grade.
I still somewhat expect Frazier to make the 53-man roster, especially given the injuries Detroit has dealt with along the offensive line. However, it wouldn’t shock me at all if the Lions ultimately decide to move on from the young offensive lineman.
3. Dan Jackson
Jackson was a seventh-round pick by Detroit in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Georgia, but he missed his entire rookie season.
The unfortunate part for Jackson is that Detroit has a plethora of safeties the team appears to like. Players such as Chuck Clark, Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper are currently ahead of him on the unofficial depth chart.
Then there’s the eventual return of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, both of whom are expected to be back at some point this season. That could make it difficult for Detroit to justify keeping an extra safety on the roster.
Jackson played just 24 snaps in the Lions’ preseason opener and earned a 55.8 PFF grade. In his second preseason game, he played 21 snaps and wasn’t much better, earning a 56.5 grade.
With the numbers working against him, Jackson has plenty of ground to make up before roster cuts.
With just one preseason game remaining, all three of these players will need to make a strong impression if they want to secure a spot on Detroit’s 53-man roster.
