Pre-Minicamp Lions' Depth Chart

Assessing the Lions' depth chart ahead of mandatory minicamp.

With mandatory minicamp set to begin on Tuesday, the Detroit Lions are deep in the evaluation stage of the offseason. 

Veterans and rookies have hit the practice field together during organized team activities. The 90-man roster will eventually be whittled down to a final 53, so players are eagerly making impressions for Coach Dan Campbell. 

With two weeks of OTAs in the books, the Lions are finding out what they have at each position group. 

Here's an updated look at the depth chart ahead of the Lions' minicamp: 

Quarterback

Starter: Jared Goff

Backup: Nate Sudfeld

Reserve: Adrian Martinez (UDFA)

Injured: Hendon Hooker 

The Lions' backup quarterback competition will likely through training camp. Hooker continues to rehab his torn ACL, so Sudfeld has the opportunity to earn a leg-up in the battle. 

Running back

Starters: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs 

Backups: Mohamed Ibrahim, Jason Cabinda (FB)

Reserves: Craig Reynolds, Jermar Jefferson, Greg Bell

Behind Montgomery and Gibbs, there is an interesting competition brewing. Reynolds is the incumbent but was limited by injuries in 2022. Ibrahim has been solid through OTAs and has a chance to crack the roster. 

Wide receiver 

Starters: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Marvin Jones Jr., Kalif Raymond

Backups: Josh Reynolds, Maurice Alexander, Antoine Green

Reserves: Trinity Benson, Tom Kennedy, Chase Cota (UDFA), Dylan Drummond (UDFA)

Suspended: Jameson Williams (six games)

Williams will get much-need time to develop throughout the offseason, but eyes will be searching for someone to fill his void in the regular season.

Right now, the veteran tandem of Jones and Reynolds hold the upper hand. 

Tight end 

Starters: Brock Wright

Backups: Sam LaPorta, Shane Zylstra, James Mitchell

Reserve: Derrick Deese Jr.

In two-tight end sets, LaPorta should get plenty of snaps. Wright is the better blocker, so he holds the most value in Detroit's run-first scheme. 

The rookie is the most dynamic receiving threat, though, so he has the potential to crack the first team early. 

Offensive line

Starters: Frank Ragnow (C), Jonah Jackson (LG), Halapoulivaati Vaitai (RG), Taylor Decker (LT), Penei Sewell (RT)

Backups: C Brad Cecil (UDFA), C/G Graham Glasgow, G Logan Stenberg, T Matt Nelson, G/T Germain Ifedi

Reserves: G Colby Sorsdal, T Ryan Swoboda (UDFA), T Connor Galvin, T Obinna Eze, T Darrin Paulo, T Max Pircher, G Kayode Awosika, C Ross Pierschbacher

Ragnow's lingering foot injury is of some concern and will likely hold him out of valuable practice time. Glasgow will provide good depth in that regard. 

Elsewhere, Sorsdal and Stenberg will likely battle for one of the final roster spots at guard. Ifedi's presence creates a competition with incumbent Matt Nelson. 

Defensive line

Starters: Aidan Hutchinson (EDGE), Alim McNeill (DT), Isaiah Buggs (DT), John Cominsky (DE)

Backups: EDGE Romeo Okwara, EDGE Charles Harris, DL Christian Covington, DT Brodric Martin, DT Benito Jones

Reserves: EDGE Josh Paschal, DT Demetrius Taylor, DT Chris Smith, DE Zach Morton, DL Corey Durden

Injured: DT Levi Onwuzurike

The Lions have some sorting to do with their defensive interior. McNeill will have one spot locked down, but the team will need to identify a solid running mate for him. 

Covington was a good depth addition for the rotation. Buggs should take a step forward in his second year under Aaron Glenn's scheme. 

Onwuzurike will factor in when he returns. He was recently cleared to run, but Campbell didn't have a timetable for his return to action.

Linebacker

Starters: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, James Houston (OLB)

Backups: Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, Julian Okwara (OLB)

Reserves: Jalen Reeves Maybin, Anthony Pittman, Trevor Nowaske (UDFA)

Much like other prominent position battles, the linebacker job likely won't be decided until training camp. Campbell, Rodriguez and Barnes will each get their share of the first team reps. 

On the outside, Houston will be a rush-package linebacker lined up off the edge. With the team's plethora of edge depth, Okwara will need a strong offseason to solidify his place in the rotation. 

Secondary

Starters: CB Cameron Sutton, CB Jerry Jacobs, Nickel C.J. Gardner Johnson, S Tracy Walker III, S Kerby Joseph

Backups: CB Will Harris, CB Emmanuel Mosely, CB/S Brian Branch, S Ifeatu Melifonwu

Reserves: S Brady Breeze, S Brandon Joseph (UDFA), CB Savion Smith, CB Jarren Williams, CB Starling Thomas V (UDFA), CB Khalil Dorsey

Moseley has been sidelined while recovering from his torn ACL, but the timeline of his injury should line up with training camp clearance. 

Once he's back, he will be in competition with Jacobs to start opposite Cam Sutton. 

Jacobs has been on record welcoming the competition. 

Walker will also be back in action by training camp, barring a set back. His presence, paired with the veteran additions, give the unit a strong foundation of leadership.

Special teams

Starters: K Michael Badgley, P Jack Fox, LS Jake McQuaide

Backups: K Parker Romo, K Riley Patterson, LS Scott Daly

Badgley remains the starter pick given his body of work, but Romo put on an impressive display last week. He beat Patterson in a competition and helped his case ahead of minicamp. 

This battle will likely go down to the wire, but there may not be three contestants come training camp.