Detroit Lions trim roster to initial 53-man squad for 2017 season
By Zac Snyder
The decisions have been made and the Detroit Lions are down to the league-mandated limit of 53 players as the preseason gives way to the regular season.
It’s cutdown day in the NFL and as rosters are trimmed from the 90-man limit for the offseason to the 53-man limit for the regular season. The 4:00 p.m. ET deadline has come and gone.
The Detroit Lions‘ roster looks as follows:
Quarterback (2)
Matthew Stafford
Jake Rudock
Running Back (5)
Ameer Abdullah
Theo Riddick
Zach Zenner
Dwayne Washington
Tion Green
Wide Receiver (5)
Golden Tate
Marvin Jones
Kenny Golladay
TJ Jones
Jared Abbrederis
Tight End (3)
Eric Ebron
Darren Fells
Michael Roberts
Offensive Tackle (4)
Rick Wagner
Greg Robinson
Cornelius Lucas
Corey Robinson
Offensive Guard (4)
T.J. Lang
Graham Glasgow
Joe Dahl
Brandon Thomas
Center (1)
Travis Swanson
Defensive End (5)
Ziggy Ansah
Cornelius Washington
Anthony Zettel
Jeremiah Valoaga
Alex Barrett
Defensive Tackle (4)
Haloti Ngata
A’Shawn Robinson
Akeem Spence
Jeremiah Ledbetter
Linebacker (6)
Jarrad Davis
Tahir Whitehead
Paul Worrilow
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Steve Longa
Nick Bellore
Cornerback (6)
Darius Slay
Nevin Lawson
D.J. Hayden
Quandre Diggs
Teez Tabor
Jamal Agnew
Safety (5)
Glover Quin
Tavon Wilson
Miles Killebrew
Don Carey
Charles Washington
Kicker (1)
Matt Prater
Punter (1)
Kasey Redfern
Longsnapper (1)
Don Muhlbach
The roster comes with at least a couple surprises. The Lions will play a lot more nickel than base defense but Antwione Williams was thought to be penciled in as the starter at strongside linebacker. He ended up seeing a lot of playing time in the preseason finale and ended up among today’s cuts as Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Paul Worrilow locked up spots ahead of Williams on the depth chart.
Also somewhat of a surprise was the decision to keep three instead of four tight ends. Eric Ebron has battled injuries in camp – not to mention his injury history overall – and the Lions may feature more two tight end sets.
Punter Sam Martin (NFI) and offensive tackle Taylor Decker (PUP) will miss the start of the regular season due to injuries and will have to take a roster spot when activated. Similarly, suspended defensive linemen Armonty Bryant and Khyri Thornton remain with the team but do not count towards the 53-man limit.
Next: Quinn acquires assets on way to 53-man roster
Of course, there is no such thing as a “final” 53-man roster. Even with the rosters narrowed down for the regular season doesn’t mean there won’t be some changes before the Lions take the field in week one. There could be moves in the coming days that shift some of the names and numbers around.