5 Biggest Surprises on Detroit Lions 53-Man Roster

The Detroit Lions finally released their initial 53-man roster Sunday night, and for the most part, it looks like the team we expected.

For the most part.

Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell still managed to throw a few curveballs into the equation, including one player almost nobody predicted would survive, a veteran receiver who looked safe for most of camp, and a tight end decision that could tell us something about how Detroit wants to build the bottom of its roster.

Detroit’s official roster breakdown confirms five running backs, only four receivers, three tight ends and a whopping 11 defensive linemen.

Here are my five biggest surprises.

1. Jabari Small Actually Made It

If you predicted Jabari Small to make Detroit’s 53-man roster, congratulations.

Apparently you knew something the rest of us didn’t.

The Lions kept five running backs: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco, Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors and Small.

Saylors felt increasingly safe after rushing for 100 yards on 17 carries in Saturday’s 25-16 preseason win over Indianapolis. Small was the surprise.

The expectation was that Detroit would keep four backs, particularly because roster space was at such a premium elsewhere.

Instead, Holmes found room for five.

The uncertainty surrounding Pacheco’s knee and back undoubtedly played a role, but Small still deserves credit. He survived a crowded competition while Trayveon Williams and Roydell Williams did not.

2. Jackson Meeks Beat Out Tyler Conklin

I liked what Jackson Meeks did throughout camp.

I still thought the Lions would keep Tyler Conklin.

Wrong.

Detroit released the veteran and kept Meeks alongside Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.

Meeks kept making plays throughout the preseason and helped himself on special teams. That mattered. Detroit’s official roster analysis specifically pointed to his versatility and special-teams value as reasons he survived the cut.

The interesting part is what this tells us about the Lions.

Conklin was the safer, more established option. Meeks offered youth, upside and more special-teams usefulness.

Detroit chose the upside.

That is not an insignificant decision.

3. Greg Dortch Went From Looking Safe to Being Gone

For much of training camp, Greg Dortch appeared to have one of Detroit’s receiver jobs under control.

Then Sunday happened.

The Lions released Dortch and kept only four receivers on the initial roster: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Tay Martin.

Martin had steadily climbed throughout camp, something we examined when he began making a serious push for Detroit’s final receiver spot.

But cutting Dortch entirely?

That was different.

Detroit signed him expecting his familiarity with Drew Petzing’s offense and his return experience to matter. Instead, the Lions went incredibly light at receiver and trusted Martin.

I would not be shocked if this position looks different before Week 1.

4. Detroit Kept ELEVEN Defensive Linemen

We knew the defensive line was deep.

Apparently the Lions decided the easiest solution was simply to keep almost everybody they liked.

Detroit retained 11 defensive linemen, including Skyler Gill-Howard, Eric O’Neill and Mekhi Wingo.

That meant Chris Smith, Myles Adams, Anthony Lucas, Ben Stille and rookie Tyre West were left out.

Gill-Howard was not much of a surprise by the end of camp. The sixth-round rookie had played too well. We already had him among the players positioned well in Detroit’s final roster battles.

O’Neill and Wingo were much harder calls.

Keeping both shows exactly what Detroit thinks about its defensive front.

Holmes spent years trying to build enough depth around Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and the rest of the core.

Now he apparently has enough that cutting the group down became the problem.

Not a terrible problem to have.

5. Nick Whiteside Did Everything Right and Still Got Cut

This might be the toughest one.

Nick Whiteside had a legitimately good training camp.

He earned opportunities, showed positional flexibility and appeared to make a strong case for one of Detroit’s final secondary spots.

The Lions cut him anyway.

Detroit kept 10 defensive backs on the initial roster, including Keith Abney II, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Khalil Dorsey and Thomas Harper, while Whiteside was among those waived.

That is especially notable because Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are beginning the season on Reserve/PUP.

You could have made a strong argument that Whiteside’s versatility was exactly what Detroit needed while those two were unavailable.

The Lions obviously saw it differently.

Whiteside could still return to the practice squad if he clears waivers, but after the summer he put together, there is no guarantee Detroit gets that chance.

The Roster Is Initial for a Reason

The biggest thing to remember is that this roster is not finished.

Detroit owns the 17th waiver priority, giving Holmes a better opportunity to claim players than he has had in recent seasons, and the Lions can begin building their 16-man practice squad Monday.

The team’s official roster-move announcement also makes clear just how many moving pieces remain between releases, waivers and reserve designations.

So enjoy the initial 53.

Just don’t get emotionally attached to all 53 names quite yet.

Holmes probably isn’t done.