On Paper…The Detroit Lions Are Loaded!!
The Detroit Lions veteran players reported to training camp in Allen Park on July 23rd (the rookies reported on July 20th), and that got me to take a look at the Lions 90 man roster as the defending NFC North champs start preparing for the 2024 season.
Just by looking at the starting lineup (both offense and defense), this is the best Lions roster since I've been following them (since 1980). They are easily a top 10 roster in the NFL, and arguably better than that.
Let's just go down the list, starting with the offense:
QB: Jared Goff
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs & David Montgomery
TE: Sam LaPorta
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown & either Jameson Williams/Kalif Raymond
LT: Taylor Decker
LG: Kevin Zeitler
C: Frank Ragnow
RG: Graham Glasgow
RT: Penei Sewell
Now, the defense:
DE: Aidan Hutchinson & Marcus Davenport
DT: D.J. Reader & Alim McNeill
OLB: Derrick Barnes & James Houston
MLB: Alex Anzalone
CB: Carlton Davis & Terrion Arnold
S: Brian Branch & Kerby Joseph
Specialists:
K: Michael Badgley or Jake Bates
P: Jack Fox
LS (Long snapper): Scott Daly
As you can see, executive Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have put together a terrific starting roster...
On paper.
Unfortunately, the games aren't played on paper. Guys will get injured, guys will not play as good as they did last year. But other guys will improve from last year. Who will that be? We don't know yet. But...
Another good thing to see is that the team has depth in a lot of places, here are some examples:
RB: Craig Reynolds
WR: Donovan Peoples-Jones & either Jameson Williams/Kalif Raymond
TE: Brock Wright & James Mitchell
OL: Kayode Awosika, Colby Sorsdal, & Dan Skipper
D-Line: John Comminsky, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, & Brodric Martin
LB: Jack Campbell, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Malcolm Rodriguez
Secondary: Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ennis Rakestraw, Emanuel Mosley, C.J. Moore, & Brandon Joseph
Credit to team owner Sheila Ford Hamp for hiring Holmes, who then hired Dan Campbell (pictured above). It all starts with her. Who would've thought that she would be the one to turn this franchise around? Because most people felt Bill Ford, Jr. would be the one guiding this franchise.
There are a few questions personnel wise. But the major building blocks are there for the first time in most of our lifetimes.
At least on paper...