Rakestraw's pick muddies the Lions' cutdown call
Ennis Rakestraw picked off a pass in the preseason finale just in time to save his own roster spot, while Dan Campbell warns some very good players are about to hit waivers.
Rakestraw picked the right week to have his best game
Dan Campbell has been saying for weeks that nothing on this roster is settled, and Saturday's finale in Indianapolis was the proving ground he'd promised. "There'll be a lot of these guys that will be playing in this game. There are still spots available, jobs available," Campbell said before kickoff, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. took him literally — with Ahmed Hassanein and Alex O'Neill collapsing the pocket, Rakestraw stepped in front of a throw for an interception that turned a shaky camp into a much harder decision to release him. It landed the same week multiple outlets, including Sports Illustrated, had described his spot as anything but guaranteed.
Lions 53-man roster projection: QB2 looks settled, but tricky decisions ahead t.co/8sFGtduRnm
The corner room got clearer for a different reason entirely this week: Terrion Arnold, the Lions' 2024 first-round pick, is officially a Seahawk. Seattle signed him after Detroit released him in June following felony charges out of Tampa, and CBS Sports reports he'll likely sit on the commissioner's exempt list rather than play while the case plays out. That opening is why Rock Ya-Sin got the first shot at starting opposite D.J. Reed, with Christian Izien, Roger McCreary and Keith Abney II still fighting for the nickel job — Campbell has said flatly that competition is staying open rather than naming a winner. As colton_pouncy's roster breakdown notes, the quarterback room looks settled; the secondary very much does not.
It's not just the back end. Campbell called the defensive line the single hardest cut on this roster, telling reporters this week, "We're gonna have to let go of some guys that are going to be able to go to other rosters and make some waves. That could happen, that's real, that's hard to do," per AtoZ Sports. With the 53-man deadline landing this weekend, the Lions are about to find out how many of their own bubble players end up starting elsewhere.
Dobbs closed the preseason the way he opened it — throwing touchdowns
Detroit finished the preseason 2-1 with a 25-16 win over the Colts on August 29, and Joshua Dobbs was the reason it wasn't closer: 15 of 19 for 128 yards and two touchdowns, with a minus-1 yard on five carries that tells you exactly how much he needed his legs against Indianapolis' backups. Luke Altmyer got the back half and was rougher around the edges — 7 of 11 for 55 yards and an interception, plus two fumbles, losing one — the kind of afternoon that will get more scrutiny in a quiet quarterback room than it did on the scoreboard.
Colts25-16
Commanders17-13
Bengals14-16Jake Bates didn't get a single field-goal look and missed two of three extra points, a strange line to end camp on for a kicker who'll need to be automatic once games count. Sione Vaki didn't play at all in the finale, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reported, one more data point in a running back room that's been sorted out more by who sat than who ran. The preseason record is 2-1, and none of it — not the score, not who won a rep — carries into September. Who made the plays does.
McLaughlin's in the concussion protocol after Saturday
Center Seth McLaughlin was diagnosed with a concussion in Saturday's finale and is now in the league's five-step protocol, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports — a fresh injury on a roster that's about to be finalized without much time for him to clear it. Isiah Pacheco, whose knee Campbell has called a non-issue, is now also dealing with a back injury, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
There's better news elsewhere: Sam LaPorta (hip) was back at practice this week, according to Richard Silva of The Detroit News, and Derrick Moore (groin) could return to practice as soon as next week, Bianchi adds. Detroit also placed Payton Turner (back) on injured reserve Thursday and added cornerback Eric Scott Jr. the same day, one more body thrown into a secondary competition that already has more names than jobs.
The Saints come to Ford Field as the clear underdog for the opener
Detroit's real season opens Sunday afternoon vs. the Saints, and the line already reflects how differently these two camps went: New Orleans finished its own preseason 1-2, its last look a 27-24 win at the Cowboys, while Detroit heads in as the favorite with the line opened at -6.5. The total was set at 48.5, a number that reads high-scoring for a matchup between an offense that just found its rhythm in the finale and a Saints team still figuring out who it is.
None of Saturday's roster churn changes that Ford Field will be loud for a home opener, and whatever 53 Detroit lands on this weekend will have had one preseason game less to figure out its identity than the team walking in across the field. That's the version of this roster the Saints will actually see.