One of the sure signs that football is back is the release of the first depth chart by the Detroit Lions. The team produced the unofficial depth chart in advance of Friday’s preseason opener in Ford Field against the Atlanta Falcons.
I cannot emphasize the “unofficial” part of the depth chart enough. This is more of a reflection on what the team’s PR department and media team sees than anything with real input from the coaches. That’s not just a Lions thing; every NFL team has someone other than actual coaches concoct these weekly depth charts.
Having said that, there’s not a lot of distortion from reality here. In fact, on offense there are only two minor listings that do not mesh with the player order at the positions in the last few days of practices:
- At TE, Garrett Griffin and Shane Zylstra should be on the same line
- WR Quintez Cephus is injured and Maurice Alexander has taken over his spot on the second-team at one of the three WR spots
Keep in mind FB Jason Cabinda remains on the PUP list. He would be listed as a starter at fullback, and the team doesn’t really have a second-team FB. Griffin has filled that role when called upon, which is why he belongs on a higher line than the third-string offense.
Defensively, there are a few points of note:
- Julian Okwara and Levi Onwuzurike are both injured and are not expected to play
- John Cominsky has played above both Bruce Hector and Eric Banks throughout training camp but is listed behind both
- Rookie LB Malcolm Rodriguez has primarily been with the second-team defense and has taken a few first-team reps, but he’s listed with the fourth string.
It’s interesting that there is no differentiation between DE and DT. All the linemen are listed as DL, period. Given that several of the players (Aidan Hutchinson, Michael Brockers, Jashon Cornell, Cominsky) all play multiple positions regularly, it makes sense.
The return specialists do not list either Kalil Pimpleton or Maurice Alexander, but both have consistently repped ahead of Tom Kennedy in both punt and kick return drills. It would be stunning to see Amon-Ra St. Brown play on special teams in the preseason, too. But that reinforces why it’s an unofficial depth chart.
