In advance of their preseason opener on Friday against the New York Jets, the Detroit Lions have released their first unofficial depth chart of 2013. As usual, it's important to stress the word unofficial, as depth charts don't mean a whole lot in the preseason. Often times they don't truly reflect what is happening on the field, and considering there have only been nine training camp practices so far, it's not like the Lions' position battles have already been resolved.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the Lions' current depth chart.

OFFENSE Pos. First String Second String Third String Fourth String QB Matthew Stafford

Shaun Hill Kellen Moore Thaddeus Lewis RB Reggie Bush Mikel Leshoure Joique Bell Montell Owens

Theo Riddick

Shaun Chapas

Steven Miller WR Calvin Johnson Ryan Broyles Kris Durham Matt Willis

Chaz Schilens

Corey Fuller WR Nate Burleson Patrick Edwards Mike Thomas Micheal Spurlock

Terrence Austin

Cody Wilson TE

Brandon Pettigrew Michael Williams TE Tony Scheffler Joseph Fauria Matt Veldman LT Riley Reiff LaAdrian Waddle Austin Holtz LG Rob Sims Rodney Austin C Dominic Raiola Darren Keyton Leroy Harris RG Dylan Gandy Jake Scott Larry Warford RT Jason Fox Corey Hilliard Derek Hardman

Here's what jumped out to me about the offensive depth chart:

At quarterback, Kellen Moore is listed ahead of Thaddeus Lewis.





Mikel Leshoure is listed as Reggie Bush's backup at running back.





At wide receiver, Patrick Edwards and Kris Durham are the fourth and fifth wide receivers. There's still a lot of time to go before the final round of cuts, and like I said, this is unofficial, but at the very least this suggests that they may be a bit ahead of the rest of the pack at wide receiver.





Joseph Fauria is the fourth tight end.





On the offensive line, Dylan Gandy is listed as the starting right guard and Jason Fox is listed as the starting right tackle. Larry Warford is currently the third-string right guard.



DEFENSE Pos. First String Second String Third String Fourth String LE Ziggy Ansah Israel Idonije Ronnell Lewis Braylon Broughton DT Nick Fairley C.J. Mosley Andre Fluellen Xavier Proctor DT Ndamukong Suh Jimmy Saddler-McQueen Ogemdi Nwagbuo RE Jason Jones Willie Young Devin Taylor OLB Ashlee Palmer Tahir Whitehead Jon Morgan MLB Stephen Tulloch Travis Lewis Carmen Messina OLB DeAndre Levy Cory Greenwood Brandon Hepburn LCB Chris Houston Bill Bentley Chris Greenwood D.J. Johnson FS

Louis Delmas Don Carey Chris Hope Martavius Neloms

Trevor Coston SS Glover Quin Amari Spievey John Wendling Tyrell Johnson RCB Ron Bartell Darius Slay Jonte Green Ross Weaver

DeQuan Menzie

Brandon King

Several things jumped out about the defensive depth chart as well:

The starting defensive ends are Ziggy Ansah and Jason Jones.





The top backups at defensive tackle are C.J. Mosley and Jimmy Saddler-McQueen.





Ashlee Palmer is listed as the starting left outside linebacker.





Ron Bartell is currently the starting right cornerback, with Darius Slay backing him up.





Don Carey and Amari Spievey are the top backups at safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS Pos. First String Second String Third String Fourth String K David Akers Havard Rugland P Sam Martin Blake Clingan HLD Sam Martin Blake Clingan LS Don Muhlbach KR Micheal Spurlock Patrick Edwards Mike Thomas Steven Miller PR Micheal Spurlock Patrick Edwards Mike Thomas Steven Miller

Finally, these things from the special teams depth chart caught my attention:

David Akers is listed as the starting kicker over Havard Rugland.





Sam Martin has the edge over Blake Clingan at punter.





The starting kick and punt returner is listed as Micheal Spurlock, indicating that he is currently in position to make the 53-man roster as the team's return specialist.

Again, this is all unofficial. There could be different starters and backups at multiple positions a few weeks from now when the time for the final round of cuts arrives. For now, though, there are a lot of interesting storylines based simply on this depth chart. What about it stands out to you?

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