The Detroit Lions three biggest questions going into the Raiders game

Where is everyone actually going to line up?

Jeremiah Ledbetter and Da’Shawn Hand are listed at defensive end on the depth chart that the Lions dropped. We don’t definitively know what that even means in the new defense. We are about to find out.

Cornelius Washington is listed at defensive tackle. That compounds the issue even further. He is lighter and quicker than Ledbetter and Hand. It is difficult to picture a defense where that particular deployment makes a lot of sense.

Quandre Diggs is listed as the starting strong safety. It will be interesting to see if he gets only starters reps, the first series or so, at the position.  The Lions secondary is a little bit of a question mark in general.

Nickel corner was not even listed on the released depth chart. Speculation about roles at the cornerback spot has centered on the outside corner spot, but if Diggs really is a full-time safety, that leaves the nickel role wide open.

For that matter, slot receiver was also not mentioned on the depth chart. It is assumed that Golden Tate is going to line up there with the first team offense, and we will only get a glimpse of him. When the starters have left the field, performing in the slot could be Jace Billingsley or Teo Redding‘s way to get noticed.

There will be other things we learn on Friday, but those are the big ones. The first preseason game is not going to be a great chance to look at the team’s stars, but it will tell Lions fans a great deal about the team anyway.