2022 Detroit Lions final predictions for 53-man roster: Eric Schlett’s predictions

The Detroit Lions Pre-season is over, and with the final roster of 53 needs to be generated by Tuesday, August 30th by 4PM ET, it’s time to deliver our final predictions for the 53-player squad.

This season, Jeremy Raisman and I teamed up for These Predictions, but in this latest installment, we’re back once again to the individual projections to allow fans more perspective on what each of us thinks.

Note: If you want to see any of the previous predictions for a list of 53 men, you can find them here: 1.0, Post-OTA / MinicampAnd the 2.0, Post-Season 1 gameAnd the And the 3.0, Post-Season 2 game. And the Here’s Jeremy’s latest predictions for a list of 53 men.

Let’s take a look at my 53-man projection.

Quarterback (2)

Beginning: Jared Goff
Reserves: David Plouffe
Exit: Tim Boyle
Change: none

Entering the pre-season end, Boyle seemed to be in the driver’s seat for the QB2 role, as he was announced as a starter and the plan was to get him half full of action with the starting attack. in List battle preview articleI assumed Boyle was in a good position, but if he failed to succeed with the higher unit, it would be a big red flag.

after, after Unbelievable drop the ballBoyle was pulled out and replaced with Blow. After the match, coach Dan Campbell addressed the media and talked about the quarterback’s backup competition:

“I think it has become very clear. I think we have answers, and I will leave it at that.”

This is bad news for Boyle to me.

running backwards (4)

Author: D’Andre Swift
Reserves: Jamal Williams, Craig Reynolds, Godwin Igweboike (South Korea)
Puppy: Jason Cabinda (Superback)
Exit: Germar Jefferson, Justin Jackson
Change: none

The Lions really tried to give Jefferson the best shot possible, but other than the play in which he followed Benny Sewell 15 yards away, he struggled to find the magic I saw in him last year.

Jackson has looked better with each passing week, but I don’t see him before Reynolds and Campbell told us last week that The mission to return the kick was to lose Igwebuike– And I didn’t see anything happen to drive him out of that spot.

wide future (6)

Beginners: Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds
Reserves: Calif Raymond (PR), Quintis Cephus, Trinity Benson
PUP: Jameson Williams
Directed by: Tom Kennedy, Maurice Alexander, Clayle Pembleton
Change: Benson in, Kennedy out

The original six set above is the same set we had in our joint forecast of 53 men each week, except for the last batch, when we upgraded Kennedy over Benson. Now, a week later, I’m headed into this final, and I still want more Kennedy on special teams or to show that he’s still recoverable on attack. Three grabs for 15 yards and little or no effect on special teams left a bad taste in my mouth.

At the end of the day, Campbell said Friday, when it comes to tight roster fights, “the tiebreak is going to be a special difference.” Welcome back, Trinity Benson.

narrow end (4)

Beginner: TJ Hockenson
Reserves: Brock Wright, Shane Zilstra, James Mitchell
Out: Devin Funches, Derek Desi Jr..
Change: none

For me, the top three are solidified, and having Jason Cabinda in the reserve/PUP gives the Lions at least another month to see where Mitchell develops. Yes, Mitchell hasn’t shown much this season, but the Lions definitely expected that when they drafted him, knowing that ACL’s recovery will slow the acclimatization process.

offensive line (8)

Starting: Taylor Decker (LT), Jonah Jackson (LG), Frank Ragno (C), Halbolivate Vaytay (RG), Benny Sewell (RT)
Reserves: Matt Nelson (over time), Evan Brown (centre), Tommy Kramer (IOL)
Directed by: Logan Stenberg (LG), Dan Skipper (OT), Obinna Eze (OT), Kevin Jarvis (OG), Darren Paulo (T/G), Kendall Lamm (OT)
Change: none

This group of eight are senior men of the Lions line and the only question I discussed was: Is there a place for Steinberg? I suppose they could find a way to keep him a ninth player, but then again, what Campbell said in the post-game press stayed with me and influenced my decision:

“There are very few occasions where we take a player and they don’t play at all. You might have an eighth line factor, but that’s a bonus for bringing him in anyway. But for everyone else, we’re going to use them.”

If they add Stenberg, it is likely that he will take the place of a player who would otherwise play a contributing role, and that does not appear to be in line with Campbell’s vision.

Indoor defensive line (5)

Beginners: Michael Brookers, Alem McNeil
Reserves: Levi Onozuriki, Isaiah Bags, Demetrius Taylor
Directed by: Jason Cornell, Bruce Hector
Change: Taylor N, Cornell Ott

Oh man, what happened to Cornell? He had 27 snapshots in Preseason 1, another 23 in Game 2, then only seven in Game 3. Fewer snap shots in the pre-season final is usually a good sign that a player is safe, but Cornell didn’t play well. Good lately – in games or practice – and I see the drop in shots in the indictment as more than a sign that it’s safe.

Meanwhile, Taylor has been destroying the offensive line for the past two weeks and is a natural player to fill in for Onozuriki as he recovers from his recent injury.

edge rasher (5)

Beginners: Aidan Hutchinson, Charles Harris
Reserves: Julian Okwara (LB), Austin Bryant, John Kominsky
PUP: Romeo Okwara, Josh Paschal
Directed by: James Huston (LB), Eric Banks
Changes: none

No changes here, as Banks has been hit and Houston is still developing. It’s also worth noting that the Hutchinson, Harris, Bryant, and Cominsky groups combined to form the NASCAR Lions Pack, which is the configuration they used Case Hutchinson/Harris.

Generic (5)

Beginners: Alex Anzalone (Mike), Malcolm Rodriguez (Will)
Reserves: Derek Barnes, Chris Board, Anthony Bateman
Directed by: Jared Davis, Josh Woods
Change: none

I think this group is still in flux as they enter the regular season. Barnes has already come in lately, he’s even started a showdown Steelersbut I still think this role is best suited for Rodriguez.

The fifth full-back is still Pittman for me because of his positional versatility and special teams contributions. It can act as a stack line leader, an edge supporter in the sub-beams, and a cover man in the sub-beams, and is present in each special squad unit.

Corner (6)

Starting: Amani Urwara, Jeff Okuda, AG Parker (NB)
Reserves: Will Harris, Mike Hughes (note), Bobby Price
PUP: Jerry Jacobs
Directed by: Chase Lucas (note), Mark Gilbert, Sivion Smith, Cedric Boswell
Change: Hughes Inn, Lucas Ott

Well, that’s sad. I’ve been singing mainly Lucas’s praises since the moment he was enlisted, and although I still think he’s had an upside at first, he’s simply not quite there yet. Again, here’s a quote from Campbell that seems to apply to Lucas:

“There’s a number of these guys in the background, I can think of two in the back of my head right now like, ‘Man, a year from now, I can really see something special, but now, it’s not there.'” And that’s tough. This is difficult.”

Meanwhile, Hughes was pressing Parker for a lead role and was half of the Lions’ first team gunner pair. Price represents the other half of the Gunners duo, and retains several other special teams roles.

safety (5)

Beginners: Tracy Walker, Deshaun Elliott
Reserves: Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kerby Joseph, JuJu Hughes
Out: CJ More
Change: Hughes in, Moore out

Moore’s aggravating his injury, combined with consistent play from JuJu Hughes, made this an easier decision to make. I still think they’d probably keep Moore at first, move him to an injured reserve after the cuts, and then bring back Hughes. But I could also see them not turning cute and risking Hughes conceding.

special teams (3)

Starting: Jack Fox (P), Scott Daly (LS), Austin Seibert (K)
Directed by: Riley Patterson (K)
Change: none

There are no changes here. The lack of humiliation damaged Patterson’s chance of making a splash in his pre-season final, but he’s been behind Seibert for several weeks now. Sure, the bigger leg helps, but Cybert was also the most accurate player in camp. It also helps that he takes off steadily, which does not force Jack Fox to take on this role.

Eric at a Glance Dropping 53 Men’s List: Final Edition 2022