Notebook: Lions Tied for NFL Lead in Two Roster Categories

Examining where Lions stand in annual study of Week 1 NFL rosters.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK

In the NFL's annual examination of Week 1 rosters, the Detroit Lions are tied for first in two categories.

The Lions had 12 players on their Week 1 roster that were under 6-feet tall, while they have 13 players over 300 pounds. Both of those numbers are tied for the most among the rest of the NFL.

In the NFL's survey, the Lions ranked near the lower end in terms of average age, with the mark being 25.38 years old and 3.82 years of experience. They have 14 players who are either rookies or in their first year of experience, while they have six players who are 30 years or older.

The Los Angeles Rams have the most rookies or first year players, with 17, while the San Francisco 49ers have the most players 30 years of age or older with 13.

Detroit Lions are tied-for-first in two roster categories, per the NFL's annual examination of Week 1 rosters.

They have 12 players on their roster under six-feet tall and 13 players over 300 lbs., both of which are tied for the most in the league. @DetroitPodcast pic.twitter.com/sEaHHMZvLG

— Christian Booher (@CBooher_) September 12, 2024

Levi Onwuzurike's season debut

Levi Onwuzurike had plenty of hype entering the season after a strong performance in the spring and training camp. After collecting a half-sack and five pressures in the opener, defensive line coach Terrell Williams noted that he lived up to expectations.

Much like how the coaching staff feels about Jameson Williams, consistency will be key for Onwuzurike moving forward.

"He did everything we expected him to do, and now it's gotta show up every week," said Terrell Williams. "That's who he is now. He's a big, physical guy. He can effect the quarterback and play good in the run game, and that's what the expectation is now. So it's not a, now when you see it it's like, 'You're doing a job, let's move on to the next play.' And that's a good thing for Levi and a great thing for us."

Amon-Ra St. Brown apologizes for missed block

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had a quiet day from a receiving perspective, with just three catches. As a result, the former fourth round draft pick was making most of his impact as a blocker.

However, a missed block he had in overtime could've been the difference between a simply big run by David Montgomery and a touchdown. During the most recent episode of the 'St. Brown Bros,' which he co-hosts with his brother Equanimeous, he detailed exactly what went wrong on that run.

“I’m by myself, I’m solo receiver way out wide. I’m not thinking the play’s gonna come all the way to me. And, bro, hole, boom, busted," St. Brown said. "He breaks like two tackles. I’m holding it, I look up, I’m like, ‘Oh, (expletive), he’s right on me.’ He made the tackle. Next play, right after that, I’m like, ‘This is never happening again.’ I come off, again I’m the solo receiver. I hit him, knock him off the ball, I’m blocking him. You know how everyone stops because the play’s dead? And then he busts out and I’m like, ‘No way,’ and I get back on my guy but my guy didn’t make the tackle. This dude got out twice and I wasn’t ready, but that (expletive) was crazy. D-Mo was eating. Once we handed off those two plays, I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re just gonna run it the whole time.’ We got to the 1-yard line, I know the Rams in their head know we’re running it and they can’t stop it.” 

Why Jack Fox is not kicking off

In recent years, Jack Fox has been the one doing the kickoff honors for the Lions' special teams units. However, Jake Bates has taken over that role to begin the 2024 campaign.

Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp detailed that he desires for the kicker to be the one kicking off, as the style of kick is more similar as opposed to what a punter is asked to do. While Fox has traditionally had the bigger leg in years past, Bates' strength has allowed Fipp to go with the more ideal option.

"I've always felt like the kicker should be the guy kicking off. It's really the skill set, it's what he does," Fipp said. "It's very similar to a field goal in terms of the style of kick, obviously much different than a punt. But I've also said that it doesn't really matter. Whatever's the best thing for the football team is what we're gonna do. So in year's past, Fox has really just had a bigger leg than those other guys out there, so he put our team in a better situation with him kicking off. Right now, with Bates, he's got a big leg also and can kick the ball and place the ball where we want to. I would prefer it to be that way in general because it's more in line with his skill set, but I would never say never. Put the best player out there."

Ennis Rakestraw's rookie mistake

During the Lions' season-opening win, rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw played just three defensive snaps. As a result, he was asked to make more of an impact in the special teams department.

He squandered a big moment while covering a punt. Jack Fox blistered a perfect kick in the third quarter, and it featured perfect backspin. With the ball taking a favorable bounce near the goal line, Rakestraw slid in an effort to simply down the ball.

However, he couldn't stop his momentum and instead deflected the ball into the end zone for a touchback.

"Obviously, that was disappointing for us. I mean, Fox, he had a great day and it would've been even better had we pinned them down there deep," Fipp explained. "Ennis, I thought he did a good job in the game for us for being his first time, obviously that play was not very good. In those situations, you've just got to keep your poise. Everything happened so fast, he had great intentions, he wants to go make a play and sometimes your enthusiasm gets in your way. Sometimes you've just got to slow down or avoid the ball all together and let someone else that's in a better spot finish it. All things you learn as young players in this league. Fortunately for us, it ended up not hurting us in the game or not costing us a game. He's got a chance to learn from it and grow."

Carlton Davis gives excellent intro for Buccaneers wideouts

Sunday's matchup with Tampa Bay will carry extra weight for Carlton Davis, who will square off against his former team for the first time since being traded in the offseason.

Davis was adamant that this game won't carry extra weight, but defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could sense otherwise. During a recent team meeting, Glenn said that Davis had a passionate and thorough introduction of Buccaneers personnel for defenders.

In fact, the introduction was so well done that Glenn admitted he wished he would have recorded it to teach future players.

“He’s normally a quiet guy, but he gave the best introduction to those receivers that I’ve ever heard a DB talk ever in my coaching career, and that’s saying a lot. The way he articulated how these guys are, how they act, how they operate was pretty amazing yesterday. I wish I would’ve taped that just for my own, just so I could show other players this is how you do it. He has a little something in him. He’s not gonna show that, that’s just who he is, but you can tell it’s Bucs week for him.”