The Detroit Lions had a tremendous year in 2024 but one of their downfalls was the depth on their roster. The Lions wound up with 13 players on season-ending injured reserve at the end of last year and it was a key reason why their 15-2 campaign ended with a loss to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs.
With this in mind, a key part of Detroit’s offseason was adding depth throughout the defense. But come training camp, the Lions can only have so many players on the roster. One of the areas where the Lions will have to make cuts is at defensive tackle and it could lead to one player becoming the odd man out in the weeks leading up to camp.
The Lions Could Throw the Towel on Brodric Martin Before Training Camp
The Lions probably want to have as many lines of protection as possible heading into training camp, but the interior of the defensive line is one area that will have to sweat out a roster cut. Alim McNeill is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December, but the Lions brought back Levi Onwuzurike and added Roy Lopez in free agency. First-round draft pick Tyleik Williams added another body to the room, and it set off a competition on the back end of the depth chart.
One player who might not get a chance to defend his spot is Brodric Martin. A third-round pick by the Lions in 2023, Martin has played just five games over the past two seasons. The third-year player has also made minimal impact when he’s been on the field, logging four total tackles and has yet to log a sack after coming out of Western Kentucky.
Martin knows he hasn’t validated his draft status in his first two years and lost over 14 pounds while he was recovering from injury last season. Even if he is fully embracing “the best shape of his life” season, he finds himself with an uphill climb to make the roster.
Onwuzurike, Lopez and Williams are all considered locks for the roster entering training camp and 2024 sixth-round pick Mekhi Wingo is the front runner for the fourth spot. It’s unlikely McNeil will be ready for the start of the season but even if he weren’t, the Lions may want to allocate more roster spots toward one of their deeper positions, including the 10-player battle royal they have at linebacker.
Put it together and Martin will have to have the training camp of his life just to make the active roster. But it’s more of a possibility that he won’t be on the team when camp begins.