After a win in their preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell got to work to get the roster down to 53.
53-man Roster
Quarterbacks: Jared Goff, Josh Dobbs
Running backs: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco, Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors, Jabari Small
Wide receivers: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, Tay Martin
Tight ends: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Jackson Meeks
Offensive line: Penei Sewell, Blake Miller, Larry Borom, Christian Mahogany, Tate Ratledge, Ben Bartch, Juice Scruggs, Miles Frazier, Seth McLaughlin
Edge: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, Derrick Moore, Tyler Lacy, Ahmed Hassanein, Eric O’Neill
Defensive tackles: Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Skyler Gill-Howard, Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo
Linebackers: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Devin White, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske, Jimmy Rolder
Cornerbacks: DJ Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Ennis Rakestraw, Khalil Dorsey, Keith Abney II, Roger McCreary
Safeties: Chuck Clark, Christian Izien, Thomas Harper, Avonte Maddox
Special Teams: Jake Bates, Jack Fox, Hogan Hatten
The players who were cut include:
DL Myles Adams, LB Joe Bachie, TE Tyler Conklin, WR Greg Dortch, WR Tom Kennedy, LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB Troy Reeder, DL Ben Stille and RB Trayveon Williams
The players who were waived include:
QB Luke Altmyer, WR Tarik Black, CB Ekow Boye-Doe, DB Aamaris Brown, OL Devin Cochran, CB Bump Cooper Jr., WR Malik Cunningham, TE Thomas Gordon, OL Gus Hartwig, TE Zach Horton, LB Erick Hunter, S Dan Jackson, WR Lucky Jackson, WR Dominic Lovett, EDGE Anthony Lucas, G Mason Miller, G Melvin Priestly, CB Eric Scott Jr., DL Chris Smith, OL Colby Sorsdal, S Jason Taylor II, DL Tyre West, CB Nick Whiteside, RB Roydell Williams
All 24 of these players cleared waivers, now the Lions have to decide on who fills the 16 man practice squad.
Injured lists
Physically unable to perform: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph
Injured reserve/designated to return: Cade Mays
Non-Football Injury: Giovanni Manu
The Lions are keeping five running backs. It’s surprising that the Lions are possibly carrying five running backs, either for special teams depth or due to concerns about Pacheco’s injury. Another big surprise is the Lions cutting veteran Ty Conklin and opting for Jackson Meeks, who offers more upside and immediate special teams contributions.
Another one was CB Nick Whiteside, who had a tremendous training camp and was one who needed to capitalize on Terrion Arnold’s departure the most to bump up the depth chart. Whiteside will certainly be back on the practice squad, as he cleared waivers.
The Lions’ cutting veteran WR Greg Dortch was another head scratcher, especially given how thin the wide receiver room is now and how the Lions were looking for a replacement for punt returner Kalif Raymond all offseason. It is an intriguing question since the Lions parted ways with all three guys (Dortch, Lovett, and Kennedy) that were receiving punt-returning duties during training camp. Must mean Dortch is on his way back. I expect both Whiteside and Dortch to return to the practice squad.
Both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will miss the first four games of the season on the PUP list. It’s unfortunate but not unexpected, as Dan Campbell told the media earlier in training camp that they are both on the same recovery timeline. The Lions’ current safeties, Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper, Avonte Maddox, and Christian Izien, once back from his short-term injury, are all fully capable of holding down the fort for now.
The secondary is thin, and it worries me the most. However, I believe the coaching staff and front office are counting on the front seven to perform well this season, which will certainly benefit a thin secondary that has struggled in previous years, partly due to a weak pass rush. Compared to the cornerback position, the Lions have a strong and deep safety room, featuring two all-pros returning this season.
Sports Talk by Zach Walsh 
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