The Detroit Lions head into Sunday’s home game against the New York Jets with a few extra days to get ready, but the picture on the roster is still complicated.
Detroit is coming off a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football, while the Jets arrive at 1-1 after an overtime defeat to the Green Bay Packers. The bigger concern for the Lions is the state of their secondary, which has been further thinned by injuries and leaves the team scrambling for answers in the back end.
Jared Goff, meanwhile, turned in one of his best recent outings against Buffalo, throwing four touchdowns. The production came too late to change the result, but the rhythm he found is a positive sign for his connection with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. Detroit would love to see that carry over against the Jets.
At running back, Jahmyr Gibbs remains the starter, with Sione Vaki behind him and Jacob Saylors listed as a reserve. Isiah Pacheco is on injured reserve.
The Lions are still trying to find a dependable No. 2 option behind Gibbs, who has been shouldering a heavy workload over the first two games. Vaki has flashed with the ball, but he still has work to do in pass protection before his role expands.
The receiver group stays led by Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa, with Tom Kennedy and Tay Martin behind them.
Kendrick Law is on injured reserve. Detroit needs either Williams or TeSlaa to start producing more consistently; the two have combined for eight catches through two games, and getting one or both rolling would give the passing game another layer.
Sam LaPorta is still the tight end starter, backed by Brock Wright, with Tyler Conklin and Jackson Meeks listed as reserves. LaPorta caught a touchdown last week and remains one of the team’s busiest targets along with St.
Brown and Gibbs. Wright has been used heavily as a run-blocker, Conklin has mostly been limited to jumbo looks, and Meeks has contributed mainly on special teams.
Up front, Penei Sewell is at left tackle and Blake Miller is back on the right side, with Larry Borom behind them. Miller was not listed with an injury designation, which points to his return to the lineup after Detroit missed him against Buffalo. Borom struggled in his first start, and Miller now gets another difficult assignment against a solid Jets defense in what will be his second career start.
The guard spots remain in flux. Christian Mahogany is back at left guard and Tate Ratledge is on the right, with Miles Frazier as the backup and Ben Bartch out with a foot injury. Mahogany played only 11 snaps in the opener before getting hurt, so staying healthy and showing he can keep the job will matter once Bartch returns.
At center, Juice Scruggs continues to hold the role with Cade Mays on injured reserve. Seth McLaughlin is available as another interior option after being signed to the active roster, and Ratledge can also serve as a backup center if needed.
The defensive line features Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams as the starters, with Skyler Gill-Howard, Levi Onwuzurike and Mekhi Wingo behind them. Williams stood out more for what he prevented than for splash plays against the Bills, continuing to look like a strong run defender through the first two games. He fits well next to McNeill, and Detroit has shown a willingness to use Gill-Howard on passing downs.
At edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson and D.J. Wonnum are the starters, with Tyler Lacy and Derrick Moore behind them and Eric O’Neill and Ahmed Hassanein as reserves.
Payton Turner is on injured reserve. Hutchinson has delivered with three sacks in two games, but the Lions need more from the rest of the group.
Moore has had a rough start, and Sunday gives him another chance to settle in. If this unit can pressure Smith, it would go a long way for the defense.
The linebacker group has Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes and Devin White starting, with Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske and Amen Ogbongbemiga available behind them. Jimmy Rolder is a reserve, and Damone Clark is on injured reserve.
The Lions released Joe Bachie and then brought him back on the practice squad. Ogbongbemiga is the elevation for this week and is expected to help on special teams.
Rolder has yet to make his NFL debut, and White still appears to have a slight edge over Rodriguez for the third spot in the rotation.
In the secondary, D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary are listed as the starters, with Keith Abney II, Khalil Dorsey and Ennis Rakestraw behind them.
The nickel role could belong to McCreary this week, since Christian Izien will be needed at safety because of the injury situation. Abney may be back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch last week, and Rakestraw could also get a chance after not appearing in a game yet this season.
Safety is where the injury pileup really shows. Chuck Clark and Christian Izien are the starters, with Jalen Mills elevated from the practice squad and Bishop Fitzgerald also available after being claimed from the Steelers’ practice squad this week.
Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are on PUP, while Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper are on injured reserve. Maddox and Harper were both placed on IR this week, with Maddox expected to miss the season.
Fitzgerald is new to the system and could still end up a healthy scratch, but the Lions may need him anyway because depth is so thin.
The special teams unit remains unchanged, with Jake Bates at kicker, Jack Fox punting, and Hogan Hatten snapping. Jacob Saylors and Tom Kennedy are listed as kick returners, and Kennedy is also the punt returner. Detroit is still trying to tighten up execution in the kicking game after early-season issues in both kickoff and return situations.
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