Getty Levi Onwuzurike and Jashon Cornell walk off the field during Lions camp in 2021.
The Detroit Lions have gone through training camp and the preseason and have whittled their roster down to the first group of the year.
Now that’s the case, there will be a temptation to think that everything has been figured out on the Detroit front for the season. In reality, that may not be the case in a few positions.
Some spots still face some questions throughout the season, and may be quietly facing some roster strife in the coming weeks as the year gets going. So what spots are a quiet weakness? Here’s a look ahead of the season.
Linebacker
While the Lions may have discovered something in rookie Malcolm Rodriguez and could be fired up about where Derrick Barnes is trending, the fact is, the team may lack some depth at linebacker.
Detroit cut a pair of veteran players in Shaun Dion Hamilton and Jarrad Davis, but kept players like Chris Board, Josh Woods and Alex Anzalone. The only question will be if the team has enough players in the event someone goes down. There’s little question the Lions whittled down to the right group, but will it be enough? That’s the hope.
Cornerback
The Lions know what they have in Amani Oruwariye, and hope they can get a bounce-back season out of a resurgent Jeff Okudah. Beyond that, the team has some depth in Mike Hughes, Bobby Price and Chase Lucas, but will it be enough?
Jerry Jacobs will come back and lend to some depth once he is off injury midseason, and AJ Parker is on the team’s practice squad if need be. Both played key roles in 2021. The hope is that the Lions get solid enough play from the group they will start with, but injuries can be a reality, and if a few strike, the team could be in trouble.
Safety
Much like cornerback, safety is a spot where the team might have a bit of a hole depth-wise if something plays out. Tracy Walker and DeShon Elliott figure to be solid, but behind that, there are questions.
Kerby Joseph is a rookie who is still learning the position, and JuJu Hughes is a depth player who hasn’t seen much of a starting role. Ifeatu Melifonwu is a converted cornerback also learning the position. Add it up and that might be troubling if there is an injury. The Lions will have to hope the team can stay healthy at this spot.
Quarterback
Jared Goff will be solid as the starter, but the team has a question at backup, even as they added a confident Nate Sudfeld to the mix. With Tim Boyle and David Blough gone, it’s hard to see how the Lions haven’t improved, but questions still remain.
Can Sudfeld get up to speed quick enough to play if he needs to be pressed into duty? No matter what happens if Goff goes down, the Lions might be in a major spot of trouble.
Defensive Tackle
The Lions have to hope that Alim McNeill is as advertised very quickly, because they might struggle to have enough beef at defensive tackle behind him.
The Lions kept UDFA Demetrius Taylor on the roster, have veteran Michael Brockers and also signed Benito Jones and Isaiah Buggs in the last few months. The team feels a bit thin at this position, but will have a chance to prove that they are better off in the weeks ahead.
Still, it is worth watching how the team deals with the loss of Levi Onwuzurike in the short-term given the role he was expected to play this season.
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