The five established Detroit Lions who need to impress in training camp
By Ash Thompson
CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 24: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals is sacked by Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions during the second half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 24,2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)
NFL stands for “not for long” according to legendary coach Bill Parcells. Veterans have to earn their role with the Detroit Lions just as much as the rookies.
Turnover is a reality of the modern NFL. player contracts are not guaranteed, and that gives teams virtually infinite flexibility with their rosters as long as they make good decisions. At the high end, teams can turn over upwards of 30% their snaps in a single season. Last season the Detroit Lions turned over 27.1% of their snaps according to Over the Cap. The roster last season will not be the same as it was this season.
Last season this list would have included players like Greg Robinson, Cyrus Koandjio, and Travis Swanson. All of them failed to make much of an impact during the 2017 preseason. Not coincidentally, all of them are gone in 2018. Only Swanson made it through the entire regular season on the Lions roster.
Each team adds 5-10 rookies to their 53 man roster every season. Free agent additions during the offseason also drastically outnumber the players that leave a team. NFL rosters nearly double in size between the end of the season and training camp.
It is not just the rookies pushing veterans out. For every Kerry Hyder or George Johnson who comes in and makes enough of a bang to make the team in training camp, there is a player everyone expected to make the roster who does not. Players we have not really heard much about, like Steve Longa and Rolan Milligan in 2017, push others aside.
Not all of these players are in danger of getting cut. Many, like Swanson of Robinson last season, are playing for a future beyond 2018. The Lions are not a team that will hold on to veterans that are not carrying their weight anymore. I will warn you that Ziggy Ansah is not on this list. His roster spot is not threatened in any way. His status on the franchise tag has been dissected to death and I do not want to rehash it. He needs to have a good 16 games, but the preseason is almost meaningless.