Of all the things that stood out about the Detroit Lions' initial 53-man roster, where they kept 10 offensive linemen, seven defensive linemen and four tight ends, the move that fascinates me more than any other is the decision to keep Brandon Powell.

Not that Powell didn't deserve to be on the roster; he certainly did. But I wonder what the longer-term significance is of the move.

Powell had an impressive preseason. He led the Lions with 16 catches for 103 yards and showed the makings of a future NFL slot receiver.

The Lions went hard after Powell as an undrafted free agent, giving him more guaranteed money — $44,000 — than anyone else in their rookie free-agent class.

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But the Florida product does not have an immediate path to playing time, not with Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and TJ Jones in front him, and by keeping him on the roster now, the team is essentially committing to developing him for 2019 and beyond.

This is where the intrigue comes in.

If the Lions believe Powell can be their slot receiver of the future, that means Tate is likely playing his final year in Detroit.

The Lions' receptions leader in each of the last four seasons, Tate is entering the final year of a five-year deal he signed as a free agent in 2014. In an era where most free-agent deals are ripped up before they hit the halfway point, Tate has more than lived up to the contract he signed coming off his Super Bowl run with the Seattle Seahawks.

He has 90 or more catches in each of the last four seasons and is one of the NFL's best at making yards after the catch.

But he also turned 30 last month, and NFL teams are always rightfully wary of overspending on older receivers looking for third deals.

Tate has spoken honestly about wanting to stay in Detroit, and it's possible that still happens. He's a valuable piece to this offense, an active figure in the community, and there's no guarantee Powell develops like the Lions hope.

But given that the Lions decided to keep Powell as their sixth receiver — special-teams ace Bradley Marquez also made the roster — they're certainly betting on potential.

The Lions made 21 roster moves in all Saturday to get down to the 53-player limit. Here are a few other thoughts on everything that went down:

• The Lions kept just seven defensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster, which falls in line with what the New England Patriots did with Matt Patricia as their defensive coordinator the last two seasons. This is a defense that will play just three linemen a majority of the time, so the days of 10 and 11 defensive linemen on the roster are over.

I wouldn't sleep tight if I was a backup lineman, either, as the Lions clearly have a need at the position and are looking for help (see: Ayers, Robert).

One name to watch that hit the scrap heap Saturday: Vincent Valentine, a third-round pick by the Patriots in 2016 who missed all of last season with injury but knows Patricia's system.

• I'll throw one other trade possibility out there with, who else, the Patriots, because general manager Bob Quinn loves trading with his old team. The Lions do have a surplus of receivers on the roster, while the Boston Sports Journal suggested previously that the Patriots could deal defensive tackle Malcom Brown.

If Brown is in fact on the trade block, perhaps there's a deal to be built around him and TJ Jones. Both players are in the final year of their contract, and both might have more value to their new team.

• One more roster anomaly that stood out Saturday: The Lions kept 10 offensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster. That could change by noon Sunday, of course, about the time when waiver claims will be processed. But perhaps that speaks to the injury concerns the Lions have up front.

Tyrell Crosby was a no-brainer as the Lions' swing tackle and Kenny Wiggins is a versatile backup who can play guard, center or right tackle. Beyond that, Leo Koloamatangi made big strides this summer and is a better center than Wiggins, while Joe Dahl and Brian Mihalik are still in the developmental stage three and four years, respectively, removed from their last college game.

Starting right guard T.J. Lang didn't play this preseason because of a nagging shoulder injury, and center Graham Glasgow missed a practice last week. Just something to keep an eye on as the season rolls on.

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• The biggest surprise Saturday was the release of DeShawn Shead. Shead didn't have a very good preseason, and he's not as good a special-teams player as fifth safety Charles Washington, but the Lions don't have much depth with just four corners on the roster.

The Lions will play three safeties (Glover Quin, Tavon Wilson and Quandre Diggs) a majority of time in their nickel package, and Diggs is a former slot corner, so perhaps letting Shead go isn't that big of a deal.

Still, after guaranteeing him $1.5 million when he signed in March, that's a big personnel miss for the Lions.

• Finally, the Lions were smart to keep Ameer Abdullah as insurance at the running back position. Abdullah had a nice preseason and can be a serviceable fill-in if something happens to Kerryon Johnson, LeGarrette Blount or Theo Riddick.

I don't imagine he's happy about his role — he'll likely be inactive as the fourth back most weeks — and the Lions still might trade him (perhaps to the suddenly Jerick McKinnon-less San Francisco 49ers after their game in Week 2).

But unless they had a deal for a 2019 draft pick on the table, keeping him was the right move.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!