With training camp still a month away, the Detroit Lions roster is fairly stable for the time being. Now that we have a small impression of how the coaches feel about the roster -- based on minicamp and organized team activities -- it's time to go back to the current 89-man roster and predict who the final 53 players on the team may be. Of course, chances are by Week 1 the Lions will have at least one or two players on their team that aren't even currently on the roster. But this is a good exercise in seeing where the roster currently stands.

QB Matthew Stafford

QB Dan Orlovsky

QB Jake Rudock



RB Stevan Ridley

RB Ameer Abdullah

RB Theo Riddick

RB Zach Zenner

RB George Winn

RB Dwayne Washington



FB Michael Burton



WR Golden Tate

WR Marvin Jones

WR Jeremy Kerley

WR TJ Jones

WR Andre Caldwell

WR Corey Fuller

WR Jace Billingsley

WR Damian Copeland

WR Quinshad Davis

WR Jay Lee

WR Ryan Spadola

WR Andre Roberts TE Brandon Pettigrew

TE Eric Ebron

TE Cole Wick

TE Matthew Mulligan

TE Adam Fuehne

TE Ben McCord

TE Orson Charles



OT Riley Reiff

OT Taylor Decker

OT Michael Ola

OT Corey Robinson

OT Cornelius Lucas

OT Chase Farris



OG Laken Tomlinson

OG Larry Warford

OG Joe Dahl

OG Geoff Schwartz



C Travis Swanson

C Graham Glasgow

C Gabe Ikard

DE Ziggy Ansah

DE Devin Taylor

DE Anthony Zettel

DE Wallace Gilberry

DE Brandon Copeland

DE Deonte Gibson



DT Haloti Ngata

DT Tyrunn Walker

DT A'Shawn Robinson

DT Caraun Reid

DT Stefan Charles

DT Gabe Wright

DT Khyri Thornton

DT Kerry Hyder

DT Louis Palmer



LB DeAndre Levy

LB Tahir Whitehead

LB Josh Bynes

LB Antwione Williams

LB Kyle Van Noy

LB Stephen Tulloch

LB Khaseem Greene

LB Jerry Franklin

LB Jon Bostic

LB Zaviar Gooden CB Darius Slay

CB Nevin Lawson

CB Alex Carter

CB Quandre Diggs

CB Darrin Walls

CB Johnson Bademosi

CB Crezdon Butler

CB Adairius Barnes

CB Keith Lewis

CB Ian Wells

CB Charles Washington



S Glover Quin

S Rafael Bush

S Miles Killebrew

S Tavon Wilson

S Isaiah Johnson

S Don Carey



K Matt Prater

K Devon Bell



P Sam Martin



LS Jimmy Landes

LS Don Muhlbach





Changes from last time

IN: Cole Wick, Kyle Van Noy

OUT: Tim Wright, Corey Robinson

Tim Wright was placed on injured reserve, so he obviously won't be part of the Lions' final roster. Based on the ravings of beat writers during minicamp and OTAs, Cole Wick seems like the most likely candidate to step up. With Brandon Pettigrew still yet to join any practices, Wick will continue to get the opportunity to justify a roster spot.

The Lions have a plethora of offensive linemen who are quite versatile on the roster, making Corey Robinson expendable. Robinson also still has practice squad eligibility, so the Lions could potentially keep him if they are afraid he could still develop into something bigger. In his spot, I placed Kyle Van Noy, not because I believe in the hype from minicamp (I don't). Rather, the Lions are quite shorthanded at the linebacker position and Van Noy is the most likely out of the bunch to separate himself from the pack.

Offense summary

The biggest competition remaining on offense is the wide receiver position. Many came out of camp impressed by the work Andre Caldwell did, so he remains the last man in on the group. But look out for newcomer Andre Roberts, who adds a dimension as a punt returner. Of course, don't sleep on UDFAs Jay Lee and new fan favorite (of mine) Jace Billingsley.

I'm still absolutely convinced the Lions will keep three quarterbacks on the roster. There have been absolutely no signs of Detroit being fed up with Dan Orlovsky and although it appears Jake Rudock is coming along slowly, the Lions need a long-term option at backup quarterback, so it would be foolish to let Rudock go. Of course, Detroit could choose to add him to the practice squad, but that adds the unnecessary risk of losing him to free agency.

With both Geoff Schwartz and Joe Dahl able to play the tackle position, I think this is the year Corey Robinson is finally let go. With all of their versatility, there's no real reason to think the Lions would have to carry 10 linemen. Even if they were, a guy like Gabe Ikard may have a better chance than Robinson at this point.

Defensive summary

Kyle Van Noy owes a big thank you to Brandon Copeland for agreeing to move to defensive end. The move leaves the Lions quite thin at linebacker and adds a lot of value to Van Noy's presence. Copeland, himself, may have put himself on the bubble by adding himself to a crowded, but not-so-talented defensive end grouping. However, because there aren't any clear winners outside of the two starters, I think the Lions may choose to keep five defensive ends on the roster to keep the competition tight.

Everything else has pretty much stayed the same. Isaiah Johnson could very well make a play for a secondary position, but I favored newer, Bob Quinn guys when talent was seemingly even. So although Johnson may have made a few decent plays during last year's preseason, Tavon Wilson is a guy Quinn went out and signed. He has to be the favorite. It's the same situation at cornerback with Darrin Walls vs. Johnson Bademosi vs. Crezdon Butler. Butler is the last man out simply for the reason that he wasn't a Quinn acquisition.