Detroit Lions: For some, roster bubble is about to pop
By Ash Thompson
Quarterback
Locks for the roster are Matthew Stafford and Jake Rudock. The former signed a massive contract extension. That makes the team unlikely to be cut, despite the protestations of the call in radio crowd. Rudock has cemented himself as the Lions backup with a string of solid performances. At the very least he looks like a player that could finish out a game, and not blow a big lead single-handedly.
The bubble player in the quarterback group is Brad Kaaya. His performance has been adequate. Unfortunately adequate is not what a team is looking for when a player has faced only opponent’s third team. He is a rookie, and a sixth round choice at that. He was not expected to come in and immediately threaten Jake Rudock’s job. Kaaya does not have the elite arm strength that usually accompanies early NFL success.
Bob Quinn will be determining whether he believes Brad Kaaya has done enough to draw interest from another team, or whether he believes he can stash Kaaya on the practice squad for a year. A strong performance for Kaaya in the final preseason game could force the team to keep him on the roster or lose him to one of the many teams that lack a quality back-up.
Wide Receiver
Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay, and Marvin Jones are the locks for the roster. Tate and Jones are the starting wide receivers. Golladay is the 2017 third round pick who will probably be the third wide receiver. These players will likely be three of the top six in receptions among the Detroit Lions players for the 2017 season barring injury.
On the roster bubble are T. J. Jones, Jace Billingsley, and Jared Abbrederis. Jones has history with the team, but that can be either a good or bad thing. He has looked good in the preseason before, and then wilted each year when the season started. Billingsley has looked like he could be a reasonable stand in for much of Golden Tate’s role in the event of an injury. His run after the catch abilities are very similar, and that could land him the role. Abbrederis has had good and bad games for the team. His possession receiver traits are something that the rest of the Lions wide receiver group lack. That could be the key to finding a roster spot for the new guy in the group.
T. J. Jones and Jace Bilingsley are also two of the candidates to take on the Lions kick return positions. That added value may be enough to trump anything that Abbrederis brings to the table. If neither of them win the role outright, however, return ability may only be enough to save one of them. There are plenty of other positions with bubble players who can return kicks.