Examining the Detroit Lions special teamers and debating who and how many players they will keep on the 53-man roster.
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, I identified the first 50 players in my projection by rounding out the running backs group, declaring a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, adding an offensive weapon, narrowing down the offensive line, breaking down the defensive line, establishing the top options at linebacker, and sorting the defensive backs. In this piece, I will fill out the final three spots on the projected roster by examining the specialists in the kicking game.
Placekicker
Matt Prater sits alone on the placekicking depth chart with no threat to his roster spot — if there was any doubt.
Erik’s take: Not only is Prater kicking unopposed, but he is in the final year of his contract and is a real contender for a fall contract extension.
Long snapper
Don Muhlbach will split long snapping duties in camp with undrafted rookie Steve Wirtel, who will be looking to show off his potential for 31 teams in the NFL. But unless Muhlbach suffers an injury, Wirtel won’t knock off Muhlbach for the Lions job.
Wirtel was likely added to the roster for four main reasons. First, Wirtel was on the Lions roster at the Senior Bowl and likely established a solid relationship with the staff. Second, he was widely considered the second-best long snapper in this class — the first was drafted by the Dolphins — and has NFL talent. Third, Muhlbach will turn 39-years-old during training camp and will require rest periods as not to be overworked. And lastly, Muhlbach could retire in the next few years and the Lions could be building the groundwork to bring back Wirtel in the future.
Erik’s take: The goat Muhlbach isn’t going anywhere.
Punter battle
The Lions have two punters on the roster, Jack Fox and Arryn Siposs. Let’s take a closer look at each to see if either can separate from the other.
Fox went undrafted out of Rice in 2019 and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played so well during the last years training camp and preseason that the Chiefs initially placed him on the practice squad before eventually moving on when they need more space. The Lions seized the opportunity to sign Fox to their practice squad in early December and when he showed well during practices, they signed him to a futures deal in January.
Fox has a very big leg, averaged 45.5 yards per punt at Rice, and has the ability to flip the field with any kick. Behind the scenes of Allen Park, Fox has been held in such high regard that Dave Birkett of the Free Press suggested the “Fox may be good enough that the Lions don’t need to draft a punter this offseason” — which indeed came to fruition.
While they didn’t draft a punter, immediately following the draft the Lions added Siposs to compete with Fox. The addition of Siposs isn’t just as a camp leg either, he is plenty talented enough to play in the NFL, and he is a bit different than your average rookie punter.
Siposs was drafted by the Saints at age 17 — that’s the St. Kilda Saints of the Australian Football League — where he played Australian rules football professionally for five years before shoulder injuries forced him from the league. In 2017, Siposs pivoted to American football and earned a scholarship to Auburn for the last two years.
A natural athlete, Siposs offers the Lions a different kind of punter. One who is comfortable kicking both traditionally and in creative/unique ways — including punting on the move, cross body, and directionally unique angles.
While training camp will ultimately decide Fox and Siposs fate, each offer Lions new special teams coach Brayden Coombs something special to work with.
Erik’s take: This is a true camp battle but based on the Lions approach this offseason, most indicators point to Fox being in the lead for now. I’m penciling him into my 53-man roster.
