Intro
In a not at all surprising manner, I missed my last chance to do one last roster prediction before cut day. Since I can not yet change the past, I might as well do a reaction blog and take a look at just how wrong my earlier predictions ended up being. I just want to make it clear that this is not the final 53 man roster as changes take place throughout the season and I expect some to be made before the season begins. With that being said, let us take a look at what we have right now. I once again used Pride of Detroit as my source of research, specifically this POD article from 9-2-18 for the 53 man roster lineup as it currently stands.
Offense
Backup QB
The team went with the more seasoned quarterback as the backup instead of the younger cheaper option. I feel this was a mistake for that very reasons and that I did not feel Matt Cassel did much better than Jake Ruddock. By making this choice, the team is going with the player who is more experienced in working with the head coach rather than the offensive coordinator and starting quarter back, which is another bad thing. That being said, the Lions will live and die by the arm of Matthew Stafford and if he goes down with injury and misses any significant amount of time, this season is over. That fact alone makes it a non issue I do expect more Backup QBs to be drafted in the future.
Running Backs
It looks like the team is sticking with Bellore as the Team's Fullback and Zach Zenner is going on the Injured Reserve list for some reason. Other than that I was right in my second roster prediction as both Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. Dwayne Washington was cut as I expected.
Wide Receivers
The group that I was most certainty, the wide receiver group ended up being the most surprising on offense. I am surprised not by who was cut but who was included. The team went with 6 WRs, Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and TJ Jones as expected. Then the Lions included Preseason sensation Brandon Powell (who had that punt return for a TD) and Bradley Marquez (who I have no knowledge of). I expected the team to go with 4 Wide outs and maybe 5 if one of the undrafted free agents stood out. I never expected 6 wide receivers to be kept on the roster. I firmly believe that with the deficiencies elsewhere on the team that Marquez is just a place holder until a quality player at another position of need is signed and the team will go back down to 5 WRs.
Tight Ends
The team went over my prediction with 4 Tight Ends, giving the nod to Preseason favorite Hakeem Valles while keeping last year's 4th round pick Micheal Roberts, who some had been talking about as a potential roster cut. This of course means that there is one less spot for other players that I predicted would make the team but this seems less surprising than the 6 WRs.
Offensive Line
The team went with only 9 offensive linemen as apposed to the 10 that I predicted. I would prefer 10 as it gives the team the ability to field 2 complete lines in case of heavy injury on the O line (which always seems to happen with the Lions) but this is not a big deal with the number of players on the roster that can do multiple positions. There were also some differences with the players on the roster from what I predicted but none that were meaningful to me. I still have high expectations for this group this season, provided that they stay healthy (which has yet to happen).
Defense
Defensive Line
The defensive line having only 7 members is easily the biggest surprise for me on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive linemen rotate in and out on a frequent basis which means having more is preferable. The team is has 3 DE, 3 DTs, and one that can play both, the rookie Da'Shwan Hand. This low number of linemen will be helped by the fact that some of the linebackers will play at the line of scrimmage as well as edge rushers, especially Devon Kennard. I do expect the team to add another lineman though given that they have 6 WRs when they do not need that many. I expect one of thoseextra wide outs to be cut when a suitable defensive lineman is found on the waiver wire or as a free agent.
Linebackers
The linebacker group is a little close to what I predicted, minus Nick Bellore being moved back.
Defensive Backs. The team went with Eli Harold, a recent addition to the Lions, and Trevor bates over Johnathan Freeny and Bellore. I am not too familiar with these players and as such I don't have anything interesting to say about them. I was right in guessing the number of LBs the team would have though, so that is something.
Defensive Backs
Like I expected, the team is going with 10 Defensive backs across corners and safeties. I was almost right about who would make the team, expect that DeShawn Shead was the surprise cut that few if anyone saw coming. This means the startin outside corner spot opposite Darius Slay will go to Nevin Lawson full time unless Teez Tabor makes a run for it later in the season. Shead's roster spot was taken up by Dee Virgin, another player that I am not familiar with.
Most Surprising to Me
The most surprising aspect of the roster is the lack of depth on the defensive line and the over abundance of receivers (both WR and tight ends). I do expect there to be changes in the near future that will bring that into balance when quality Defensive line players players become available, though that might have to wait until after the start of the regular season (which is less than a week away at this point). Kick off time for the first game of the regular season against the New York Jets is 7:10 pm on Monday (my day off) and I will be watching.
