Detroit Lions' 2025 roster projection 1.0: Six receivers, six corners and an extra o-lineman
Allen Park — With two weeks of training camp and the preseason opener in the books, the Detroit Lions’ depth chart has started to take shape.
Let’s set the table for the remainder of camp with our first 53-man roster projection of the summer.
Quarterback (2)
In: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
Work to do: Kyle Allen
Thoughts: Despite the collective performance in Thursday’s Hall of Fame game, this truly is one of the best backup situations the Lions have had since Shaun Hill and Kellen Moore were backstopping Matthew Stafford in 2013.
Hooker, the incumbent, conceded the start in the Hall of Fame game to the veteran Allen, not too different than Nate Sudfeld drawing the first two starts ahead of Hooker last preseason. That’s a combination of Allen performing just as well, if not slightly better than Hooker in practice, and the team forcing the 2022 third-round pick to prove himself in the face of adversity and earn the job.
Hooker did no such thing against the Chargers, looking out of sorts with his pocket presence and accuracy to all levels. That was incongruent with what we’ve seen through the first two weeks of training camp.
Still, despite Allen’s veteran poise and processing, we’re going to continue to give Hooker the edge for the job because he’s unquestionably improved from last year, has a notable edge in arm strength and upside Allen can’t come close to matching.
However, if Allen continues to outperform Hooker by a significant margin through the remaining preseason games, the journeyman veteran can make a case as the better option to navigate troubled waters in a pinch, which is the primary role of a backup, particularly for a contender.
Running back (4)
In: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
Work to do: Jabari Small, Kye Robichaux, Jacob Saylors