With the Detroit Lions set to kick off Week 2 of training camp on Monday morning, we felt it was a good opportunity to check in with some of the biggest positional battles after a week of work.
Our Bubble Watch series attempts to update you on the latest developments at each position and offer our thoughts on how the Lions’ roster construction may be shifting before the team has to cut down to 53 players at the end of August.
Let’s start with the offense. Here are our staff’s predictions for which bubble players are in, and which are out:
2024 Detroit Lions Bubble Watch, Offense: Week 2
| Player | Jeremy | Erik | Ryan | Alex | Morgan | John | Max | Brandon | Hamza | Zac | Al | TOTAL | Change from last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Jeremy | Erik | Ryan | Alex | Morgan | John | Max | Brandon | Hamza | Zac | Al | TOTAL | Change from last week |
| QB Nate Sudfeld | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| RB Craig Reynolds | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 11 | 0 |
| RB Zonovan Knight | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | 1 | 0 |
| RB Jermar Jefferson | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| WR Antoine Green | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 11 | 0 |
| WR Donovan Peoples-Jones | OUT | OUT | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | 8 | -3 |
| WR Maurice Alexander | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | 2 | +1 |
| WR Daurice Fountain | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | 3 | +3 |
| WR Tom Kennedy | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| WR Kaden Davis | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 1 | 0 |
| WR Isaiah Williams | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| TE James Mitchell | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | 10 | 0 |
| TE Shane Zylstra | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | IN | 10 | 1 |
| TE Parker Hesse | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | 1 | 0 |
| TE Sean McKeon | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | 0 | 0 |
| OT Dan Skipper | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | 2 | -3 |
| OL Colby Sorsdal | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 11 | 0 |
| iOL Kayode Awosika | OUT | IN | OUT | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | 6 | +3 |
| iOL Netane Muti | IN | OUT | IN | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | OUT | IN | 3 | -1 |
| iOL Christian Mahogany | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 11 | 0 |
Quarterback:
- Assumed in: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
- Nate Sudfeld: 0 “IN” votes (no change)
Despite the fact that Sudfeld is now sharing second-team reps with Hendon Hooker and Dan Campbell called the backup QB battle a true “competition,” no one is buying it. I’m a bit surprised, to be honest, as Sudfeld had a strong start to camp. I was close to justifying a roster spot for Sudfeld, but the truth remains that if Detroit likes Sudfeld and wants him to be the early backup, they could cut him, add him to the practice squad, and elevate him on game days for the first few weeks while Hooker continues to develop.
Running back:
- Assumed in: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sione Vaki
- Craig Reynolds: 11 votes (no change)
- Zonovan Knight: 1 vote (no change)
- Jermar Jefferson: 0 votes (no change)
No changes at running back, which makes sense. The order of reps remains the same: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, and Sione Vaki, in that order. It’s hard to judge running back performance without live tackling, so don’t expect too much movement here until the preseason begins.
Wide receiver:
- Assumed in: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond
- Antoine Green: 11 votes (no change)
- Donovan Peoples-Jones: 8 votes (down 3 votes)
- Daurice Fountain: 3 votes (up 3)
- Maurice Alexander: 2 votes (up 1)
- Kaden Davis: 1 vote (no change)
- Tom Kennedy, Isaiah Williams: 0 votes (no change)
After a strong week on both offense and special teams, Fountain cuts into Donovan Peoples-Jones’ votes this week. This may seem like an overreaction, but Fountain made some plays in the spring, he was on the practice squad all of last year, and by the end of last week, he was repping with the first team. The Lions clearly like some of what they’re seeing in Fountain, as his ability to elevate and get the ball separates him from everyone else in the room.
After a strong Saturday practice, Alexander also garnered an extra vote. He’s hung around the team for a few years now and could be a kick return candidate, so faith in him, too, is warranted.
Tight end:
- Assumed in: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright
- James Mitchell: 10 votes (no change)
- Shane Zylstra: 10 votes (up 1 vote)
- Parker Hesse: 1 vote (no change)
- Sean McKeon: 0 votes (no change)
Tight end is another position that is difficult to gauge without pads, but Zylstra continues to rep highly, so the fact that he’s near a unanimous “IN” is not surprising.
Offensive tackle:
- Assumed in: Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Giovanni Manu
- Colby Sorsdal: 11 votes (no change)
- Dan Skipper: 2 votes (down three votes)
Skipper has regularly repped at left tackle with the second team, while Sorsdal has been at right tackle. That right tackle position is the key one, though, as it would be the vacancy regardless of which starting tackle got injured. So the fact that Sorsdal has occupied that spot for most of camp is noteworthy.
Apparently, that has been enough for several of our staffers to believe Detroit could save a roster spot here to use elsewhere.
Interior offensive line:
- Assumed in: Kevin Zeitler, Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow
- Christian Mahogany: 11 votes (no change)
- Kayode Awosika: 6 votes (up 3)
- Netane Muti: 3 votes (down 1)
This appears to be where that extra roster spot is going. Awosika has long been Detroit’s preferred veteran depth on the offensive line, so it makes sense that he’s currently in the lead over Netane Muti—likely his biggest competition for a roster spot.
Meanwhile, despite starting training camp on the Non-Football Illness list, rookie Mahogany remains a unanimous “IN.”
Again, it’s hard to justify too much movement here with no pads on yet. That could change this week, with the Lions expected to put the pads on Monday morning.
