We are a long way from NFL training camps and even further from the regular season, but it’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.
Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, added an offensive weapon, and in this piece, we will explore the Lions offensive line — projecting who and how many will make the 53-man roster.
Setting the table
Heading into training camp the Lions typically carry 15 offensive linemen so they can roll three offensive line combinations through practices. When it comes time to reduce the roster to 53 players, the Lions have historically kept nine or 10 on the active roster, and then had seven active on game days.
The thought process for who fills those spots roughly breaks down like this: five starters, a swing tackle, a player capable of playing guard and center, a reserve with a high floor, another with a high ceiling, and a potential luxury developmental option.
Returning OL starters
The Lions return three starters on the offensive line — left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Joe Dahl, and center Frank Ragnow.
Decker and Ragnow are foundation builders and locked in starters. Dahl exceeded expectations in his first year as a starter but will still have to fight to keep his starting job with new blood in town. His positional versatility — he can both guard spots and center — should keep him around even if he is demoted.
Here’s a look at the Lions OL so far:
| Left Tackle | Left Guard | Center | Right Guard | Right Tackle |
| Taylor Decker | Joe Dahl | Frank Ragnow |
Erik’s take: I could see Dahl staying put or switching to right guard depending on who else wins a starting job.
Challenging for a starting role
Halapoulivaati Vaitai was one of the Lions top targets in free agency because of his upside and ability to play both tackle spots and inside at guard. Based on how the roster is constructed I am expecting him to step into the open starting spot at right tackle — his best position — barring a surprise push from Tyrell Crosby.
Because of his Vaitai-like positional versatility, Crosby has settled into the Lions’ third offensive tackle spot, and while many will dismiss him as a reserve only, he has started seven games (one at left tackle and six at right tackle) over the last two seasons. Crosby’s ability to step into a starting role at any time and keep the offense on track is a critical role.
The Lions drafted back-to-back guards in the third — Jonah Jackson, IOL — and fourth — Logan Stenberg, LG — rounds. Both will assuredly be given a shot to start, cross-trained at all three interior spots, and it would be surprising if both weren’t locks for the roster. It’s too early to know if either Jackson or Stenberg has a leg up on the starting right guard role, but based on draft selection, let’s give the nod to Jackson for now.
Let’s update the OL depth chart:
| Left Tackle | Left Guard | Center | Right Guard | Right Tackle | |
| Starters | Taylor Decker | Joe Dahl | Frank Ragnow | Jonah Jackson | Hal Vaitai |
| 2nd string | Tyrell Crosby | Logan Stenberg |
Erik’s take: I’ll be hard-pressed to take any of these seven out of any of my roster predictions moving forward.
Returning linemen
So far, we have filled the following spots on the checklist: five starters, a swing tackle (Crosby), and a player with a high ceiling (Stenberg). We are still looking for a player capable of playing guard and center, a reserve with a high floor, and a potential luxury developmental option.
Of the remaining eight linemen, Kenny Wiggins has the biggest resume with the Lions. Over the last two seasons, he has been active for 30 games, started 10 games in 2018, and was part of the guard rotation all of last season, starting three games. On paper, Wiggins looks like a front runner for the roster, but his 2020 contract puts that thought on hold. The two years he was heavily involved, Wiggins averaged $2.5 million per year, while this season he only got a one-year $1.05 million vet minimum deal.
The next most notable returning lineman was Oday Aboushi, who was active in seven games last season, starting two. Like Wiggins, Aboushi signed a vet minimum deal with slightly more guaranteed.
The third lineman who spent the entire season on the Lions active roster in 2019 was UDFA rookie guard/center Beau Benzschawel, but he failed to see a single snap on offense. The fact that the Lions kept Benzschawel on the active roster all season with no intention of playing him speaks to how highly they value his upside.
Right tackle Dan Skipper was on the Lions active roster for a week in November and two weeks in December, technically making him a returner but three games hardly assures him anything at this stage.
Matt Nelson, another 2019 UDFA, spent the season on the Lions practice squad adjusting to the offensive side of the ball after playing on the defensive line at Iowa. It would be surprising to see him make a jump to the 53 at this stage in his development, but stranger things have happened.
Let’s update the OL depth chart again:
| Left Tackle | Left Guard | Center | Right Guard | Right Tackle | |
| Starters | Taylor Decker | Joe Dahl | Frank Ragnow | Jonah Jackson | Hal Vaitai |
| 2nd string | Tyrell Crosby | Logan Stenberg | Beau Benzschawel | Kenny Wiggins | Dan Skipper |
| 3rd string | Matt Nelson | Oday Aboushi |
Erik’s take: Benzschawel’s ability to play both guard and center will be a big advantage but he will have to beat out guard/tackle veterans in Wiggins and Aboushi — something he couldn’t do last season.
New additions, plenty of experience
Caleb Benenoch is a right guard/tackle option who was claimed by the Lions with two weeks remaining in the 2019 season but never saw the field in Detroit. However, he did start 22 games over the previous four seasons (mostly at right guard) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Joshua Garnett was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 and started 11 games for them at right guard as a rookie. He didn’t see the field in 2017, was only active seven games in 2018, and out of the league in 2019, before signing a futures deal with the Lions in January.
Rusell Bodine started 74 games at center over five years (four seasons with Cincinnati and one in Buffalo) but was out of the league in 2019. Like Garnett, he appears to be a player the Lions are willing to test the waters on and see if they have anything left.
| Left Tackle | Left Guard | Center | Right Guard | Right Tackle | |
| Starters | Taylor Decker | Joe Dahl | Frank Ragnow | Jonah Jackson | Hal Vaitai |
| 2nd string | Tyrell Crosby | Logan Stenberg | Beau Benzschawel | Kenny Wiggins | Dan Skipper |
| 3rd string | Matt Nelson | Oday Aboushi | Russell Bodine | Joshua Garnett | Caleb Benenoch |
Erik’s take: At this stage of their careers are any of these three more than name players only?
Narrowing the field
After the initial seven players, the final two/three spots will come down to a few specific battles. We can narrow the field of players based on what we have seen from them in previous years.
Nelson may have upside but nothing at this point indicates he’s ready to step up beyond the practice squad at this time.
Bodine and Garnett weren’t in the league last season, so can they beat out the other five who were on the roster at different points last year? Probably not.
Benenoch and Skipper were only added last season after the Lions suffered injuries and with a healthy group of guard/tackles ahead of them would they be preferred options? Again, probably not.
Conclusion
If we revsit our checklist, we were looking for a player capable of playing guard and center, a reserve with a high floor, and a potential luxury developmental option.
After narrowing the field, we are left with only Benzschawel, Wiggins, and Aboushi to choose from.
The next question becomes, will the Lions keep two or three more offensive linemen? For my money, the Lions need as many spots as possible for offensive skill players and that means they will only keep two more linemen — nine total.
I can’t get away from how the Lions handled Benzschawel last season and my gut says they love his upside, but has he developed enough to beat out high floor veterans Wiggins and Aboushi?
Erik’s prediction: Wiggins was the Lions top interior reserve last offseason and I expect him to return to form and claim the OG3 or 4 job. And for the final spot, I have nothing to base it on other than gut, but give me Benzschawel and his upside to round out the offensive line.
Final 53 projected depth chart:
| Left Tackle | Left Guard | Center | Right Guard | Right Tackle | |
| Starters | Taylor Decker | Joe Dahl | Frank Ragnow | Jonah Jackson | Hal Vaitai |
| 2nd string | Tyrell Crosby | Logan Stenberg | Beau Benzschawel | Kenny Wiggins | Crosby/Wiggins |