Detroit Lions: Breaking Down Final Roster and Week 1 Starters (2024)

The next snap the Detroit Lions take won't have roster ramifications.

You've waited eight excruciating months to wipe the taste of a poor pass interference call and an offensive meltdown from of your mouth. Now it's so close you can taste it.

But before you worry about what other teams have, it's imperative to survey the roster savanna to determine Detroit's collective and positional worth. And for the first time in a couple decades, fans will like what they see.

Click through for a breakdown of the 53-man roster and starting lineup. Then smile—presuming you're a Lions fan—because the front office has set this team up for success.

The speculation has finally come to an end. Detroit, for the first time in the Martin Mayhew era, has opted to carry just two quarterbacks.

Kellen Moore was included in the final round of roster cuts, ending his two-year run on the 53-man roster. Since he's never been active, he's still practice-squad eligible, which would make sense for the Lions since they value his intelligence.

Moore's inclusion or exclusion ultimately wouldn't matter anyway. This season will come down to Matthew Stafford's improvement or lack thereof.

All indications this preseason have pointed to a step forward in the 27-year-old's performance. His 156.3 passer rating won't carry over to the regular season, but the improved mechanics (over the top throws!) and quicker decision making make this offensively stacked team dangerous.

FB Michael Burton

Everyone can finally exhale.

The Lions couldn't ignore Zach Zenner any longer this preseason. The undrafted free agent showed out and led the league in rushing using a solid mix of power, speed and balance.

That relegated George Winn to the practice squad, per Kyle Meinke of Mlive Media Group, giving Detroit the best of both worlds.

As for which running back will take the first carry or receive the most touches, your guess is as good as any fantasy expert's at this point. Detroit will likely deploy its deepest, most complementary backfield in a long time a different way each week, depending on the opponent and the game plan.

Again, the Lions did what everybody wanted them to do. It helped that it doubled as the right decision.

Jeremy Ross was given every opportunity over the past year-plus to regain his early Lions-tenure magic. He couldn't do it, dropping one pass and averaging 2.7 yards per reception (three total) in his last appearance, per Pro Football Focus.

That opened the door for T.J. Jones, and he sprinted through it in the same manner as his 64-yard touchdown. His speed was on full display as he turned a short slant into a race to the end zone against the Buffalo Bills.

Regardless, the decision will probably be forgotten within a couple of weeks. The Lions are set at the top of the depth chart with perhaps the league's best receiving duo. The only question could be if either Jones or Lance Moore can steal a few snaps from Corey Fuller.

As soon as the Tim Wright trade went down, Joseph Fauria saw the writing on the locker room wall.

And on Twitter. And every blog that covers such matters.

Whether the cause was lingering injury concerns or alack of trust, general manager Martin Mayhew included Fauria in the last round of cuts and kept Wright on the roster. The latter has compiled 80 catches for 830 yards and 11 touchdowns in two years without missing a game.

Those numbers are considerably better than Fauria's track record. Wright should be a nice complement whom offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi can use at a few different positions, but he will not be helping out with the blocking (couple big whiffs against Bills).

Brandon Pettigrew will do the heaviest lifting in the trenches with an improved Eric Ebron pitching in as well.

All eyes will be on the latter this year, looking to drastically improve on his rookie numbers. He'staken this offseason seriously, according to Matthew Stafford (h/t Dave Birkett of theDetroit Free Press), and is ready for a bigger role.

If Ebron can turn a corner, the offense has the potential to go from solid to deadly. Ebron is too much of a load for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers. He's a mismatch everywhere he lines up.

There are two uncertainties when looking at the starters and both are health related.

LaAdrian Waddle is still battling back from a season-ending ACL injury. He's been practicing for a while now but didn't take any live snaps during the preseason.

Larry Warford endured a high-ankle sprain in the second preseason game and has been out ever since. Detroit has been characteristically mum on the situation, giving little information to the public about his Week 1 availability.

If neither can go, the right side of the line will be held down by Manny Ramirez and and Cornelius Lucas. That's a sharp drop-off in talent and preseason performance, with Lucas earning the second-lowest offensive grade for Detroit this preseason.

Detroit likely held on to both Taylor Boggs and Corey Robinson as injury insurance. Hopefully the team won't be relying on either this season.

Regardless, this unit as a whole must take a huge step forward. The increased athleticism should help with the outside zone runs, as well as keeping Matthew Stafford upright (45 sacks in 2014).

While Eric Ebron and Matthew Stafford will be under the most individual scrutiny, the defensive line might take home the title as a unit.

Obviously, Ndamukong Suh took his talent and bank account to South Beach. Detroit bounced back as well as could be expected by trading for Haloti Ngata and signing Tyrunn Walker.

The latter looked excellent in the second and third preseason games, showing off power and penetrating backfields with surprising regularity. Now he'll need to stretch out that production to starter's snaps.

The interior rotation will be rounded out by the new-and-improved Caraun Reid (who is battling a high-ankle sprain) and rookie Gabe Wright.

Ezekiel Ansah has been the topic of countless articles predicting a breakout season. SB Nation's Stephen White gave a spirited account here (caution: language), and his logic is pretty spot on. The defense will be counting on him to create pressure to help overcome the loss of Suh.

The decision of keep Phillip Hunt was almost exclusively due to his preseason pass-rushing production. He created 11 quarterback pressures in 62 pass-rushing opportunities, giving hope that he is this year's George Johnson.

The only semi-surprise was the release of last year's fourth-rounder, Larry Webster. He made it through waivers and will be stashed on the practice squad, so the team will be counting on Devin Taylor and Darryl Tapp to hold down the main reserve spots.

Detroit's decision to keep seven linebackers surprised many but not this author.

Brandon Copeland helps alleviate any special teams concerns with running back George Winn on the practice squad. Plus, his solid preseason from a pass-rushing perspective (five total pressures) gives defensive coordinator Teryl Austin a deep reserve.

However, it's unlikely we'll see much of Copeland with the defense, which has something to do with Stephen Tulloch's return.

The stout middle backer flew around like a man possessed against the running game in limited appearances over the past month, although there were some communication issues in pass coverage. The team must shore those up quickly, as it struggled against tight ends last year.

Otherwise, most things will stay the same. DeAndre Levy returns with a new contract, and Tahir Whitehead will likely hold down the "Sam" spot. This starting group would rank highly with any general manager and will be the key to Detroit regaining its defensive glory.

Also, Kyle Van Noy will continue to see spot snaps until he proves he has a better handle of the defense. The rangy second-year player has the talent, yet he hasn't been able to translate it to the field.

Detroit's secretly good secondary returns intact for another season.

Darius Slay has hopes of ascending to the top of the cornerback heap. He's done nothing this preseason to prove he isn't capable and is still tackling extremely well (eight solo tackles in 72 preseason snaps), limiting yards after the catch.

While Glover Quin might not lead the league in interceptions again, he will still be one of the most underrated safeties in the league. His ability to read the field is top notch and should result in at least a few turnovers.

The only true concern here is age. Rashean Mathis has played excellently during his time in Detroit but just turned 35. James Ihedigbo is 31.

Luckily, the depth is the best Detroit has had in decades. Isa Abdul-Quddus is a known commodity who will probably start next year, whether in Detroit or not. And the nickelback spot should be much better with veteran Josh Wilson and Nevin Lawson's return from injury.

Don Muhlbach is something like Elvis in his prime. Or he's an incredibly reliable long snapper who will be on the roster as long as he wants to be. It's not easy to spice up a Muhlbach discussion.

More importantly, the Lions and their fans won't be enduring another year of kickers shooting craps.

Detroit signed Matt Prater after his four-game suspension ran last season and was happy enough with the decision to hand him a three-year contract. He was rock solid down the playoff chase, knocking in nine of his last 10 attempts.

And Detroit's most famous fifth-round pick is back for another season of coffin-corner dimes and field-position-changing punts. He was Pro Football Focus' third-ranked punter by virtue of his 25 punts downed inside the 20 and the 22 fair catches he forced.

There's a long way to go this season, but this is Detroit's most talented roster since at least the mid-90s. Double-digit wins and a playoff run are certainly attainable. Now it's on the players and coaches to deliver on Martin Mayhew's finest work yet.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

BrandonAlisogluis a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centricpodcast,Lions Central Radio.Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is@BrandonAlisoglu.