Position battles aren’t as cut and dry as they sometimes appear in the preseason.
Sure, NFL teams like to keep five and often six receivers on their 53-man roster, but the Detroit Lions had seven on their Week 1 roster in 2021, and have rolled with four at times in the past.
Fifth and sixth receivers can be valuable contributors, but usually only if they play on special teams and only then if they’re better at that than the 11th defensive back or sixth linebacker.
“It’s tricky, cause at the end of the day, you don’t know,” second-year Lions defensive back Chase Lucas said. “You might be battling with somebody in your position group, but you might be battling with somebody that’s not in your position group.”
Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week setting a roster was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, with moving parts that impact how it looks.
There are developmental prospects teams don’t want to risk exposing to waivers, injuries to juggle at various positions, practice squad spots to figure out, potential trades to consider, and for the Lions, the added wrench of Jameson Williams’ six-game suspension.
Do they need a sixth receiver with Williams due back in late October? Can they get by with three receivers on practice squad? And if they want to upgrade the position, is it better to make a small move now or wait in case bigger names become available closer to the deadline.
Whatever their choices, Friday’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers serves as the final evaluation point in a monthslong process. The entire body of work matters, but some jobs can be won or lost based on who performs — and who doesn’t — when the lights are brightest.
Here are five roster decisions that could be impacted by Friday’s play:
Three’s company
Jared Goff won’t play against the Panthers, and Teddy Bridgewater seems safe as Goff’s backup. But the Lions must decide whether to keep Nate Sudfeld as a third quarterback or if it’s better to go deep somewhere else.
Sudfeld hasn’t been particularly sharp this summer, but there’s a comfort in having a veteran backup who knows the system and has a good relationship with Goff. He should get plenty of playing time against the Panthers, and if he plays well could force the Lions to abandon any hopes they have of convincing him to take a spot on the practice squad.
One wild card: Hendon Hooker’s health. The Lions plan to activate Hooker to their 53-man roster at some point this season. If that will be sooner than later, there might not be any reason to keep Sudfeld.
ANALYSIS: Dan Campbell, Brad Homes have mastered compromise when building the Lions’ roster
Receiving line
Three rookies are competing for the final one or two spots in the receiver room, and all have cases for a job. Dylan Drummond has had the most consistent training camp of the trio, Chase Cota has been the best performer in games and Antoine Green was a seventh-round pick in April, so the Lions clearly thought more of his developmental prospects than his counterparts entering camp.
Campbell said last week the fifth receiver job was wide open and there has been little separation since. Maybe Maurice Alexander could nudge into the conversation because of his return ability, and general manager Brad Holmes seems to have an affinity for Trinity Benson.
But if one of Drummond, Cota or Green has a big day against the Panthers — and if they can double as a contributor on special teams — they should be on the safe side of the bubble when roster cuts are due at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Trench warfare
The Lions are blessed with good depth on their defensive line, enough so that they have more potential contributors than open roster spots. That’s partly due to the lack of special teams value most defensive linemen have, and that’s why this might be the Lions’ biggest roster dilemma.
Romeo Okwara has played as the sixth edge rusher this summer, but he has a 10-sack season in his not-too-distant pass. His brother, Julian, is essentially the Lions’ seventh edge rusher and has three sacks this preseason. And on the interior of the defensive line, Benito Jones took first-team reps ahead of Isaiah Buggs in practice Wednesday, the Lions have a developmental rookie in Brodric Martin and finally have 2021 second-round pick Levi Onwuzike on the field.
If Holmes can pull it off, this seems like a position of strength he can deal from to add a future pick or upgrade the roster at another position.
Corner office
The Lions need to get some special teams value out of the defensive backs on the back of their roster, and that’s where players like Lucas, Khalil Dorsey and Steven Gilmore come in.
Gilmore, an undrafted rookie out of Marshall, is probably the best cornerback of the group, but that’s only a small part of the equation with Emmanuel Moseley on the mend from knee surgery. Dorsey split No. 1 gunner reps with Brian Branch on Wednesday and played well at corner in the first preseason game. Lucas is a backup slot option who had the key block on Alexander’s long punt return touchdown against the Giants.
Ifeatu Melifonwu is another defensive back in the mix for a job here, but has been injured twice this preseason and is currently dealing with a quad injury. The Lions should be able to sneak several of their defensive backs through waivers. They could prefer to keep Melifonwu for now rather than cut him with an injury designation and not be able to bring him back until after the settlement expires.
READ MORE: Lions’ Chase Lucas has won Dan Campbell’s heart. Can he win a roster spot, too?
Back to the future
Justin Jackson’s surprise retirement opened up a roster spot for a No. 3 running back the Lions are still trying to fill. Of those competing for the job, Craig Reynolds probably has the most value in the running game, while two of the newest roster additions — Devine Ozigbo and Benny Snell — offer a touch more on special teams.
It’s rare that players sign as late in camp as Ozigbo and Snell and have a legitimate chance to earn a job, but that’s the situation both find themselves in heading into Friday.
With Jermar Jefferson battling a calf injury and David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs unlikely to play, Ozigbo, Snell and Reynolds should get ample work against the Panthers. Whoever has the best all-around day would be my pick for a roster spot.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.