Allen Park — With a little bit of a lull between the end of training camp and the start of the regular season, let’s knock out some of your questions via a mailbag. We’re going to break these up in a couple of parts, just to give you multiple things to read.
Q: Is there any way Greg Dortch comes back onto the 53? —@cooldownrat
Justin: Is there any better indicator of where the Lions currently stand as an organization than the fact that most discussed player a few days after roster cuts was a guy who lost the battle to be the No. 4 receiver?
I get it, Dortch was the most surprising cut among media members, who universally viewed him as a low-level lock, which shaped the fan base’s perspective.
However, the continued conversation has extended far beyond the player’s potential value to the roster. Remember, Dortch is a guy who in three seasons working under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing averaged 30 receptions for 276 yards.
Yes, Dortch added value as a return man, but he only had one season where he was top-10 handling punts. His career averages? On punts, 8.9 yards. How about kickoffs? 23.6 yards, or 26.5 yards in the current structure of the play.
I like Dortch. I think he’s a good player, a good return man, and a good schematic fit for a team that leans into pass catchers that rack up yards after catch. But the Lions have a lot of players who thrive in the slot and there’s not some massive drop off on punt return if Tom Kennedy ends up being the guy, like I suspect.
Could Dortch come back to the 53? Sure. But I think the fact that he was released and bounced over to Buffalo so quickly tells me the Lions didn’t indicate to him and his representation that he was a post-cut priority.
Q: With Isiah Pacheco down, who is RB2, and bonus, who will have the most fantasy production this season? Sione Vaki or Jacob Saylors? — Adam Gladwish
Justin: Frankly, we don’t know. But let’s set the table with what we do know.
On the practice field, it was consistently Vaki repping with the first-team offense when he was available and either Jahmyr Gibbs or Pacheco weren’t. And I’m not going to tell you Vaki was tearing it up, day in and day out, but there was plenty of positive development with his consistency.
However, in terms of the preseason games, Saylors was the guy and he flourished with his opportunities.
When I weigh all the factors, one reason I’m willing to give Saylors the leg up is his experience. He played running back in college and he was the UFL’s leading rusher in 2025. Yes, Vaki has been racking up the reps on the practice field, but there’s something added about live game snaps, regardless of the competition level.
It’s why I posited a similar question to the other hosts on the podcast a couple weeks back, asking them if they thought Saylors was positioning himself as the backup complement to Gibbs.
Ultimately, unless the Lions add an alternative, you probably see some mixing and matching of the two. In terms of fantasy points, neither is likely to be relevant, even in the deepest leagues.
Q: Are the kind of roster shenanigans we’ve seen the Lions pull the past couple years common? I’m mostly thinking of keeping less than 53 players on the roster and the way they have handled guys like Conklin, Small, and McLaughlin. —Steve Bullo
Justin: Keeping less than 53 players is a little more unusual, but if the Lions didn’t think 53 were worthy coming out of camp, they were just pulling the band-aid early, instead of letting those guys think they made it, only to cut them for a different option a day or three later.
As for this year’s moves, shenanigans has negative connotations, and this wasn’t that. These definitely fall into the bucket of common, and in the cases of Jabari Small and Seth McLaughlin, potentially even favorable to giving them the best chance to contribute in 2026.
First, let’s talk about the snip-snap move with Tyler Conklin. I would comfortably suggest he was informed of the team’s plan to bring him back on Sunday, when he was released. The team likely knew they were placing Pacheco on injured reserve, but didn’t want to waste one of eight IR to return designations prior to cuts, on the off chance his back injury proves to be season-ending. Even if those odds are 5-10%, it was an unnecessary risk for a team that butted up against that limit last season.
Regarding Small and McLaughlin, they were hurt on cutdown day. Instead of cutting them and having to issue both injury settlements, they let them heal, lose the stigma of being waived/injured and pave a path for them to potentially immediately re-sign with Detroit’s practice squad, where they can continue their development in the place where they’ve spent all offseason.
Q: The slot corner role seems incomplete. What are your expectations for Week 1 against the Saints and do you anticipate any other moves? — Kevin Green
Justin: If Christian Izien can get cleared, he’s the likeliest option. Otherwise, it’ll likely be the rookie Keith Abney, who would have a chance to lock down the position if he’s assignment sound in the matchup.
However, I’d like to note that my expectation is that the Lions are going to be heavy with base defense again for the time being because they trust their linebackers more than they will be willing to lean too hard on Abney.
Q: What’s your biggest criticism for Brad Holmes from the last calendar year, from a team-building perspective? — Jamelle Cooper
Justin: Let me start with this, I think Holmes has done far more good than bad with his handling of the roster, and he’s made clear adjustments from some of his past missteps. Constructing a football roster with the constraints of the salary cap is difficult and he’s done a better job than most of the league’s GMs.
What I’ve liked this offseason was his focus on the offensive line and the moves he made there. Regarding some of the free agents with durability concerns, the expectations of contributions and guaranteed money was lower. And I really like the way he attacked the safety depth with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch expected to miss at least the start of the season, and potentially more in Joseph’s case.
In terms of missteps, I’ve been pretty forthcoming with my criticism of how the team planned for the loss the Terrion Arnold. And it’s not hindsight. I raised the concern to Holmes directly in March, when the GM appeared on the podcast.
Re-signing Rock Ya-Sin was smart, but also an easy decision. But only adding Roger McCreary and Keith Abney, while letting Amik Robertson walk, weakened a position group that’s often impacted by injuries.
I don’t want to invest the time into laying out players Holmes could have targeted in the draft and free agency. Those kind of details would be too revisionist. I just believe he should have done more.
That’s not saying he should have signed a $15 million per year obvious starter or spent the team’s first-round pick on the position, but more than a veteran minimum, slot-first guy and a fifth-round draft pick that you announced would probably be a nickel, as well.
Q: Who is your pick to go to the Super Bowl this year and whose extension is done first, Sam LaPorta or Brian Branch? — David Postma
Justin: Predicting football is difficult because of the injuries, but I wouldn’t bet against the Rams this season. They have an MVP quarterback and supercharged an already-good defense with trades for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett before luring Aaron Donald out of retirement.
My feelings aren’t as strong about which AFC contender will emerge. I could see Kansas City rebounding, but sentimentality has me wanting Buffalo to finally get over the hump.
As for the extensions, LaPorta seems more likely, only because he’s been medically cleared since the start of training camp. If you told me he will get the Jamo treatment, signing a day or two before the regular season opener, I’d buy it.
If Branch gets done, I think it’s more likely mid-season, after he’s returned and proven the leg is good to go.
Q: When you said, they owe the fans an explanation about their decision process on Terrion Arnold, where did that come from? I wasn’t aware they owed us anything — Justin Douglas Wolfenberg
Justin: I believe companies should explain their business decisions to their paying customers who invest time, money and emotional energy into the brand.
If you personally don’t care, that’s fine. Apathy is always a choice.
Q: Schematically or philosophically, what is the number one change fans can expect to see in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense for the upcoming season? —PengShei
Justin: More blitzing. They went from 34.9% in 2024 to 21.9% in 2025. They’re going to get after the quarterback this year and I believe blitzing is going to play a big role in it.
Devin White, Christian Izien, Chuck Clark, Abney, Ennis Rakestraw (if and when he sees time), Derrick Barnes, DJ Reed, Jack Campbell, you’re going to see pressure coming from every which direction.
Q: The backup center situation is a mystery right now. If Juice Scruggs is injured mid-game, are they really moving Tate Ratledge over? — Chad H
Justin: If they played a game today, with no additional roster moves or practice squad elevations, yeah, I’d assume that would be the plan. But that’s not how it works.
We’ll have a much better idea Saturday afternoon, before the game, when practice squad elevations are announced. It could be McLaughlin, Mason Miller, Elijah Klein, or someone not currently on the roster/practice squad.
Remember, this is presumably a short-term issue. I imagine the team hopes to have Cade Mays back in the fold after the team’s Week 6 bye.
Q: From your interactions, what current player would make the best coach in the future? Whose personality or intellect has surprised you? — Alex
Justin: I believe the best coaches are the fringe guys who have to grind for every opportunity. There’s something about that marriage of work ethic and the attention to detail it requires to stick in the league. It also helps to be smart and have people skills.
Some guys I’ve talked to who give off coach vibes are Josh Dobbs, Jacob Saylors, Avonte Maddox and Ben Stille.
Coincidentally, Stille already works a defensive lineman school during the offseason, where he uniquely focuses on teaching run-stopping technique, first and foremost.
When we talked, he didn’t sound particularly interested in working for a team when his playing career is done, but we’ve seen that path charted before with a guy like Chuck Smith. He did great work with dozens of pass rushers around the league before the Ravens added him to their staff as an outside linebackers coach.
First, I love the in-depth articles you put together. It gives me some insight into the players that is more insightful than just the information I can find online. However, I love the mailbag too. I feel like I get a quick hit approach to topics that gives what seems like inside information. Knowing you are at the practices and talking to both players and coaches, you seem to have a nice feel for why decisions are being made. Keep up the great work! My subscription has been worth every penny with the information I get from your writing. Thanks Justin.
Thanks for the mailbag, Justin. And thanks for treating it as exactly that. Some folks will tout a mailbag and then push you to a podcast, which is a peeve of mine. I like reading more than hearing, especially when it comes without filler or ads.