Tag: roster battles

Watch: Detroit Lions Podcast preseason review and roster bubble watch

The latest live episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast breaks down preseason storylines and Lions players on the roster bubble

The latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast is now available to watch, listen or stream. This week’s live episode dives deep into the final week of the preseason for the Lions after a rough exhibition loss to the Jaguars.

Roster cutdowns are a week away, and a good portion of the show gets in-depth on the players fighting for spots on the 53-man roster. This includes notes from Tuesday’s practice and how much can still change over the next few days.

Among the topics for this week’s show:

–What can we take away from the Jaguars game?

–How worried should we be about the depth, and what can be done about it?

–Julian Okwara trade rumors and potential return

–Players on the roster bubble

–Should the starters play vs. Carolina in the preseason finale?

–Undrafted rookie watch

The audio-only version of the show is available from your favorite podcast provider or you can stream it below:

Lions vs. Jaguars: Detroit roster bubble players to watch in the preseason matchup

With the starters sitting for Detroit, it’s a big chance for these Lions on the roster bubble to prove they belong on the team

The second preseason game for the 2023 Detroit Lions will go a long way in determining which players wind up comprising the back half of the team’s 53-man roster. With head coach Dan Campbell indicating that pretty much every important Lions player will sit out Saturday’s matchup with the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s showtime for the depth.

Position battles will dominate the conversation for the Lions against the Jaguars. Here are a few combatants who can help sort things out with their play against the visiting cats from Jacksonville.

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Updating the Lions camp battle for the No. 3 offensive tackle

The Lions starting OTs are fantastic, but the depth behind them is emerging as a real issue in training camp

The Lions have arguably the best starting offensive tackle tandems in the NFL in Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. After that dynamic duo, the Detroit depth chart at offensive tackle is discouraging.

Head coach Dan Campbell and offensive line coach Hank Fraley are searching for someone, anyone, to step up and seize the No. 3 OT job. Holdover Matt Nelson, veteran newcomer Germain Ifedi and a crew of unproven, undrafted youngsters are all battling to win the job. Through the first weeks of training camp, nobody has won the swing tackle position.

“Well, I would say right now it’s open,” Campbell said before Wednesday’s joint practice with Jacksonville. “It’s open, and those guys knew that coming in here, and I think that Nelson and Ifedi are just going back and forth. I thought Nelson’s had a pretty good camp, but I think Ifedi played pretty good in this game last week, and he’s played a lot in this league.”

On Wednesday, Ifedi was the second-team left tackle and fared relatively well in team drills. Just as he did in the preseason win over the Giants, the veteran Ifedi didn’t lose reps even if he didn’t win many, either. That should give him an advantage over Nelson, who has kicked to right tackle with the second team.

Nelson has shown he can win reps, notably in the run game. He had a couple of those in the joint practice against the Jags. But he also loses reps a lot more frequently than his competition, something we all saw on the very first play of the preseason. Nelson’s slow footwork and poor recovery athleticism have been a problem all summer, and that appears to have given Ifedi the edge in playing the more critical left tackle.

Campbell also brought up second-year tackle Obinna Eze, who has shown some progress in camp.

“Eze’s really come a long way, there again it’s just about the consistency and getting reps and playing. So, I think it’s very much open, it’s open and they’re competing for that spot,” Campbell concluded.

Eze was an undrafted rookie a year ago who didn’t look NFL-ready. This year, the Lions have two such UDFAs in Ryan Swoboda and Connor Galvin. It’s not that Galvin or Swoboda have been egregiously bad while working with the deep reserves, but neither has stood out as someone who looks upwardly mobile on the depth chart in 2023.

Fifth-round rookie Colby Sorsdal, a college tackle at William & Mary, has worked exclusively at guard since training camp ramped up. Recently signed vet Bobby Hart has only lined up at guard since joining the Lions, too. That is not expected to change for Sorsdal — who has shown promise in his positional transition — or Hart. Vet Darrin Paulo works more inside as well, while international program player Max Pircher hasn’t separated himself from the 6-foot-9 Swoboda at the bottom of the depth chart.

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Breaking down the battle for the Lions RB depth

Breaking down the battle for the Detroit Lions reserve RB spots behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs

David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are both new to Detroit this season, but they already look like an excellent running back tandem. The Lions duo should be one of the NFL’s best and most versatile.

After the top two RBs, well…

The picture behind Montgomery and Gibbs has blurred in the last couple of weeks. Injuries to Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson and the unexpected retirement of Justin Jackson have really opened up the competition. Or, as head coach Dan Campbell said before Monday’s practice session,

“…nothing is solidified in that third role or fourth for that matter. I mean there’s – we’re going to take the best players and so, our eyes are open. We – (Lions GM)) Brad (Holmes) and I were discussing it, I mean we’re – you want a job, go get it.”

Campbell made sure to emphasize that the competition doesn’t have nearly as much to do with running the ball as it does special teams.

“We’re looking for a third back and it all starts with special teams, man. If they can help us there, then we’re figure out the offensive side of it,” Campbell stated.

Here are the guys trying to go get those jobs and where they stand entering the second week of preseason.

Updated look at Packers positional battles before big week with Patriots

Taking a look at where the Packers’ positional battles stand going into joint practices against the Patriots.

Heading into an important week of practices for the Green Bay Packers, here is an updated look at where each positional battle currently stands.

No final decisions will be made this week when it comes to the positional battles taking place for the Packers in training camp, but the next five days, which include two joint practices with New England and a preseason game, will carry a lot of weight in determining those outcomes.

“This is going to be a big week for our guys,” said coach Matt LaFleur, “in terms of this just being the most exhausting week of the preseason for these guys. We got practice today (Sunday), practice tomorrow, walkthrough on Tuesday, and we will get two practices versus the Patriots, and we got two more games. I think we got a long way to go yet.”

Based on what I’ve seen at each of the training camp practices, here is where I feel each of the key positional battles stand before the Packers begin a big week with New England.

Updated look at Packers training camp battles after first week of practices

Reassessing the Packers’ many roster battles after one week of training camp practices.

The Green Bay Packers have an off day on Wednesday before they are back on the practice field on Thursday. While there is still a lot to be determined at this point, with the team only two days into padded practices, many of the positional battles taking place this summer are starting to take shape.

For head coach Matt LaFleur, where players are lining up, whether it be with the starters, twos, or threes, or where each player may fall on the depth chart is not something he wants his team focusing on right now, in part, because there is still a lot of rotating that’s taking place.

“First of all,” said LaFleur, “there is nothing set in stone. We’ve had two real practices, no pads, so we are going to be moving guys all over the place. Just because somebody is running with the ones, doesn’t’ mean that’s necessarily the case and vice versa if you’re running with the twos, I don’t want the guys thinking about the depth chart at this point.

“The sole focus each and every time you go out there is to try to get better each and every day in everything they do. In order to do that, you have to give max effort, you got to be deliberate about what you’re doing. Know the ins and outs, the details, the why of everything we are asking these guys to do.”

While, of course, this is all very true, there are some trends that are starting to develop in terms of who is playing where along with some players beginning to separate themselves from others at their position groups.

Based on what I’ve seen up to this point from being at practice, here is a closer look at where I believe things stand.

Top roster battles to watch as Packers open training camp

All the best roster and depth chart battles to watch as the Packers get ready to open training camp next week.

Training camp is almost here for Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers.

Rookies report on Friday, veterans report next Tuesday and the first practice is set for next Wednesday. Football is almost back, and camp means nothing if not competition.

Here’s a breakdown of the best roster and depth chart battles likely to play out during training camp in Green Bay:

Browns final 53-man roster projection after the preseason

Our Jeff Risdon with his post-preseason prediction of the initial Browns 53-man roster

Now that the preseason is over, Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry and his staff have the unenviable task of trimming the team’s roster from 80 to 53.

Following Sunday night’s exhibition game in Atlanta, the Browns have about 40 hours before the NFL’s deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 31st. There are some tough decisions to be made at several roster spots.

Here is my final projection. Note that this is just for the initial 53 on the roster after the first cutdown deadline. Expect changes, be it players who make the cut going on I.R. or waiver claims, on Wednesday that shake up at least three of the spots here.

5 Lions players with the most to gain in the preseason game vs. the Colts

Here are the 5 Lions players who stand to gain the most from a strong performance against the Colts in Detroit’s final preseason game. 

Jobs are on the line when the Detroit Lions host the Indianapolis Colts on Friday night in Ford Field (7 p.m. ET). With nearly all the starters from both teams sitting out the exhibition season finale, it’s a chance for some players on the Lions’ roster bubble to step up and prove they belong.

Here are the five players who stand to gain the most from a strong performance against the Colts in Detroit’s final preseason game.

8 thoughts about the Lions roster entering the preseason finale

Top positional battles to watch during Packers preseason finale

Breaking down the top positional battles on the roster as the Packers approach the preseason finale.

The Green Bay Packers still have plenty of roster spots to get figured out before having to decide the initial 53-man roster next Tuesday. One of the final steps in the puzzle is Saturday’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills.

Here’s a closer look at the top positional battles being fought as the Packers enter the final preseason game of 2021: