KEY QUESTIONS: How close are Lions to establishing 53-man roster?: https://www.detroitlions.com/news/key-questions-how-close-are-lions-to-establishing-53-man-roster
Lions part ways with three offensive linemen as roster cuts continue: https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/lions-part-ways-with-three-offensive-linemen-as-roster-cuts-continue.html
Detroit Lions reportedly waiving dual-threat undrafted rookie quarterback Adrian Martinez: https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/detroit-lions-reportedly-waiving-dual-threat-undrafted-rookie-quarterback.html
WR Dylan Drummond, one of the best stories of the summer, cut by Lions: https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/wr-dylan-drummond-one-of-the-best-stories-of-the-summer-cut-by-lions.html
Deeper than ever, the Lions are agonizing over final roster decisions: https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/deeper-than-ever-the-lions-are-agonizing-over-final-roster-decisions.html
Lions' Sudfeld reportedly tears ACL; team weighing whether to keep Moseley on PUP: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2023/08/28/lions-sudfeld-reportedly-tears-acl-team-weighing-whether-to-keep-moseley-on-pup/70698848007/
Predicting the 22 remaining Detroit Lions roster cutdowns: n: https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/predicting-remaining-detroit-lions-roster-cutdowns/
Lions Likely to Start 2023 Season with 8 Offensive Linemen: https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-likely-to-start-2023-season-eight-offensive-linemen
Hendon Hooker to Start Career on NFI List: https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/hendon-hooker-to-start-season-nfi-list
PFF Team of the 2023 NFL Preseason & Player Awards (LB: Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit Lions. Flex: CB Steven Gilmore, Detroit Lions. K/PR: Maurice Alexander, Detroit Lions): https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-preseason-pff-team-of-the-preseason-player-awards-2023
Surprise NFL trade, cut candidates ahead of Tuesday's deadline: Analysis and potential landing spots (Trade Candidates - EDGE JAMES HOUSTON IV, DETROIT LIONS. While preseason football is not quite the real product, there are still many different takeaways to be had from the action leading up to the regular season. Participation data can serve as a key indicator of a player’s location on the depth chart, for example, which made Houston’s 27 snaps in the second half of preseason Week 2 quite notable. Detroit rested the lion’s share of its starters and top contributors, yet Houston handled a significant workload in the second half. Houston was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and recorded 17 quarterback pressures and eight sacks on just 92 pass-rush snaps last season, a truly remarkable rate of productivity. However, Detroit used its first- and second-round picks on edge defenders in last year’s draft and also has veterans — including Romeo Okwara, Charles Harris, John Cominsky — in the fold. It appears Houston may be the odd man out in Detroit, but the Lions definitely shouldn’t release a player with three years of cheap control remaining who showed a knack for getting after the quarterback on limited snaps last season. Many teams would be happy to take a flier on a developmental pass-rush specialist coming off a season with an 88.2 pass-rush grade. Potential landing spots: Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants): Detroithttps://www.pff.com/news/nfl-preseason-pff-team-of-the-preseason-player-awards-2023https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-preseason-pff-team-of-the-preseason-player-awards-2023https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-preseason-pff-team-of-the-preseason-player-awards-2023https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-surprise-nfl-trade-cut-candidates-2023-deadline-analysis-landing-spots
Our annual NFL Rank: Experts stack this season's top 100 players, starting with five offensive stars (61. Amon-Ra St. Brown - 2022 rank: NR. Since entering the league in 2021, St. Brown has a 1% drop rate (three drops in 265 targets) which is the lowest among all players with 200-plus targets in that span. He's back for Year 3 and hungrier than ever after making his first Pro Bowl appearance last season. Already viewed as one of the most reliable receivers in the league, St. Brown is looking to take his game to an even higher level in 2023. -- Eric Woodyard. Signature stat: St. Brown has 196 career catches, tied with Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas for the most in a player's first two seasons in NFL history. What they are saying: "You can see he's a man on a mission with how he works. He's coming for something this year." -- Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds. 2023 projection: 95 receptions, 1,047 yards, 6 TDs (64 yards/1 TD rushing). 67. Aidan Hutchinson - 2022 rank: NR. Hutchinson is coming off a stellar rookie season in which he led all rookies with 9.5 sacks while also racking up 52 total tackles and three interceptions. He also tied for the most quarterback hurries (37) among rookies in 2022 with Kansas City's George Karlaftis. -- Eric Woodyard. Signature stat: Myles Garrett was the only edge rusher double-teamed at a higher rate than Hutchinson (29.6%) last season. What they are saying: "My goals are if you think about the highest accolades you can get in football, that's what I'm going for." -- Hutchinson. 2023 projection: 55 tackles, 9 sacks. 72. Penei Sewell - 2022 rank: NR. There's a reason the Lions selected Sewell as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Viewed as a foundational part of the offense, Sewell has lived up to the hype, surrendering only 1.5 sacks in 2022 en route to earning his first Pro Bowl selection. The 6-foot-5, 335-pound offensive tackle was part of an O-line that helped the Lions become a top-five offense last season. -- Eric Woodyard. Signature stat: Sewell and Jake Matthews allowed the fewest sacks (three) among tackles with at least 1,000 snaps played last season. What they are saying: "He's our foundation. He's one of those pillars that we talk about. But I mean he is something else. He's a man on a mission. I feel like we're a team on a mission, but he is a man on a mission, and you talk about being wired right, a guy that comes in every day, puts in the work and he's got so much ability, but he's got the right attitude too and I think that's what makes him dangerous if you're the opponent." -- Lions coach Dan Campbell. 91. Jared Goff - 2022 rank: NR. Coming off one of his best seasons in 2022, Goff has a chance to secure a long-term future as the Lions' franchise quarterback. He helped lead the Lions to eight victories over their last 10 games while spearheading a top-five offense last season. If he can perform at a high level again this season, the Lions have a chance to make the playoffs. -- Eric Woodyard. Signature stat: Goff finished the 2022 season with 29 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions, making a TD/INT ratio of 4.1 -- the best in the NFL and the best mark in a single season in Lions franchise history (min. 250 passes). What they are saying: "I feel like he's right on track. He's in his second year in the offense and you know I feel like he's right where he needs to be. He's in good place, he's making big throws. I feel like he's on top of the protection, and yeah, I feel good, I mean there's nothing that would tell me he's not going to have another good year for us." -- Lions coach Dan Campbell. 2023 projection: 3,933 passing yards, 24 TDs, 11 INTs (83 yards/2 TDs rushing)): https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38251650/nfl-rank-2023-ranking-top-100-players-predictions-stats-quotes
The NFL's 101 best players for 2023, Nos. 101-7692. Penei Sewell, OT, Detroit Lions: Detroit took Sewell, the former Oregon left tackle, with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, and flipped him to the right side in the second half of his rookie season. That raised some eyebrows, but Sewell allowed four sacks on the left side and one on the right in 2021, so perhaps there was something to it. Last season, as the Lions’ full-time right tackle, Sewell allowed two sacks, six quarterback hits, and 20 quarterback hurries in 663 pass-blocking snaps. One sack, three hits, and 15 hurries came in True Pass Sets. Sewell was a big part of Detroit’s offensive development in 2022 — there were a lot of boots and rollouts to quarterback Jared Goff’s benefit, and Sewell generally had no trouble blocking those up. On this Goff 20-yard pass to receiver Khalif Raymond against the Patriots in Week 5, Sewell helped keep things clean against both Matthew Judon and blitzing linebacker Mack Wilson. Sewell handles straight-on protection just fine as well — on this Goff 27-yard pass to Raymond in Week 8 against the Dolphins, he took defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL) as long as Wilkins wanted to go. Speaking of blocks that test the concept of duration, there’s this run-blocking work against the Bears in Week 17, when Sewell went up to the third level and started in on safety Jaquan Brisker 20 yards downfield. That was the final piece of Jamaal Williams’ 40-yard run. Add in Sewell’s value as a receiver (no, we’re not kidding), and there was no way he wasn’t going to be on this year’s list. 82. Frank Ragnow, Center, Detroit Lions: Detroit selected the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Ragnow with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 draft, and while he played left guard in his first season with the Lions, he’s been the team’s starting center since 2019, and to great effect. He didn’t allow a single sack in either the 2020 or 2021 seasons, and he was a big part of the Lions’ redefined offense under Ben Johnson. Returning from a turf toe injury that cost him all but four games in 2021, Ragnow decided against surgery in 2022 when a similar problem popped up. All he did last season was to allow one sack, no quarterback hits, and 12 quarterback hurries in 627 pass-blocking snaps, with one sack and eight hurries in True Pass Sets. Ragnow combines power and functional mobility as well as any center in the NFL right now, and if you’re in his way on a run play, you’re probably not going to like the result. On this nine-yard Jamaal Williams run against the Packers in the Lions’ season finale, Ragnow finished the season as he started it — by dominating his opponents. Here, he took nose tackle Tedarrell Slaton out at the line of scrimmage with help from left guard Jonah Jackson, and then, Ragnow erased linebacker De’Vondre Campbell at the second level. The Lions have much more of a chance to meet their offensive goals in 2023 with Ragnow on the field, and he’s a joy to watch, so let’s hope for good health in the new season.): https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-best-players-jalen-ramsey-tariq-woolen-garrett-wilson-george-pickens/
NFL preseason winners, losers: Final verdicts are in (Teddy Bridgewater in No. 17: The Detroit Lions’ new backup QB looked far better in his new jersey number than he did donning No. 50 a week ago. The 10-year vet led his team to 20 second-quarter points Friday in Charlotte and appeared perfectly capably of stepping in if Jared Goff goes down for any stretch of time.): https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2023/08/28/nfl-preseason-winners-losers-aaron-rodgers-rookie-quarterbacks/70697169007/
2023 NFL All-Preseason Team (Cornerback: Steven Gilmore, Detroit Lions: I was today years old when I found out Steven Gilmore is Stephon Gilmore’s brother, and it seems that little brother got some of his All-Pro sibling’s instincts. Gilmore is the only cornerback to have multiple interceptions in the preseason. He was also second in the league in passes broken up and an overall menace for the Lions this summer. In a secondary that looked very top-heavy entering the season, it seems Detroit has a little more depth than originally thought.): https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/dorian-thompson-robinson-trey-palmer-tyjae-spears/
Sam Howell, Tank Bigsby, Rashee Rice lead NFL All-Preseason team for 2023 (LB: Jack Campbell, Lions: Some thought Campbell was a reach in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has proven during the preseason that he certainly wasn't. Campbell was a force for the Lions in each of his preseason outings. He was able to quickly diagnose running plays and come downhill with force to blow up plays. That's part of how he racked up 14 tackles during his time on the field. Additionally, Campbell was able to fair well in pass coverage. He allowed a passer rating of just 58.3 against him on 41 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and he logged a pass defense. That has the Lions rookie looking like a true, three-down playmaker who will solidify the middle of Detroit's rapidly improving defense. KR/PR: Maurice Alexander, Lions: Last year, KaVontae Turpin was named to Sporting News' All-Preseason Team after logging two return touchdowns as a rookie for the Cowboys. Alexander may not have matched the feat achieved by his former USFL counterpart, but he still looked great on return detail. Case and point: his 95-yard punt return touchdown, during which he used two spin moves to shred the Giants' special teams units. Alexander has competition for the primary punt returner job in Detroit with Kalif Raymond. That said, if the Lions want to protect Raymond to use him on offense while Jameson Williams is out, Alexander showcased that he is more than capable of providing the Lions with a special teams spark.): https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-all-preseason-team-2023-sam-howell-tank-bigsby-rashee-rice/gsged6t73vicrlofbqlfm5c3
NFL quarterback rankings for 2023 (17. Jared Goff, Lions: As one of the league's classic highly dependent passers, Goff delivers when everything is set up well around him. The Lions' offensive line is top-notch and the running game got an upgrade with versatile rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Amon-Ra St. Brown has plenty of more receiving support, too. Goff's solid status in his rebound from the Rams' end put him smack dab in the middle of the pack. 2022 stats: 4,438 passing yards, 29 passing TDs, 7 INTs, 7.6 yards per attempt, 99.3 passer rating, 73 rushing yards): https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-quarterback-rankings-2023-qbs-best-worst/yxvqewdhatrxu7qwajhb89vp
NFL hot seat rankings: Mike McCarthy, Josh McDaniels among coaches under pressure entering 2023 season (11. Dan Campbell, Lions: Campbell has received a lot of love for his performance with the Lions thus far, and rightfully so. He led the team to a six-win improvement between his first and second season with the team and nearly got them into the playoffs with a 9-8 record in 2022. So, why could Campbell's seat heat up quickly? Well, the Lions are facing big expectations for the first time in a while. They are expected to be the team to beat in the NFC North and have gotten a lot of love from bettors as a Super Bowl pick. If Campbell can't get the Lions to live up to those expectations, the team could look at his overall record of 12-21-1 and his decision-making, which has been over-aggressive at times, and make him a scapegoat for the team's shortcomings. It doesn't seem likely that this will happen, nor does it seem likely that Lions players would be in favor of ousting a coach for whom they play hard. But nothing can be ruled out in the NFL, so consider this a potential make-or-break year for Campbell.): https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-coaches-fired-2023-odds-rankings/tzqxodgahczsxyk2nooszn6m
Winners and Losers From NFL Preseason Week 3: The Aaron Rodgers-to-Garrett Wilson Connection Grows, While the Eagles and Bears Have QB2 Problems (Winner | Detroit Lions Rookie WRs: Jameson Williams’ six-game gambling suspension and the Detroit Lions’ decision to waive recently-acquired wideout Denzel Mims opened a few slots on Detroit’s WR depth chart in advance of final cuts — and rookies Dylan Drummond and Antoine Green made the most of their opportunities on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers. Drummond, an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan, has been impressive throughout the summer. His standout performance culminated with a five-catch, 46-yard performance in Week 3 that likely secured him a place on the Lions’ roster. Green, Detroit’s seventh-round pick, showed off tantalizing speed on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater. With Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, and Marvin Jones Jr. as the Lions’ only other supporting options behind WR1 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drummond and/or Green might have the chance to contribute early in the season.): https://www.profootballnetwork.com/winners-and-losers-nfl-preseason-week-3-aaron-rodgers-garrett-wilson-eagles-bears/
Video:
SportsWorks - 8-27-23 -- Dan talking Lions, Tigers & college football with John Niyo & Pat Caputo: https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1270433
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