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2025 Detroit Lions: 0-0 Draft, FAs, trades? (14 Viewers)

Ahead of the release of the full 2025 schedule on May 14, the league's broadcast partners will announce select games on the following days:
  • NBC - Monday, May 12 on TODAY Show
  • FOX - Monday, May 12
  • Prime Video - Monday, May 12
  • ESPN - Tuesday, May 13 on Good Morning America
  • CBS - Wednesday, May 14 on CBS Mornings
  • Netflix - Wednesday, May 14
The NFL continues to master drawing things out.
 
Prime Video - Monday, May 12
Guessing we might know about the season opener.

Hopefully it will be Lions-Eagles. :thumbup:
I'm not a fan of prime time games, but since it's on the road it might be best to get it over with while the weather is still decent.
I love the prime time games so I can watch and totally focus on the game instead of worrying about 7 other games and their fantasy implications.
 
Prime Video - Monday, May 12
Guessing we might know about the season opener.

Hopefully it will be Lions-Eagles. :thumbup:
I'm not a fan of prime time games, but since it's on the road it might be best to get it over with while the weather is still decent.
I love the prime time games so I can watch and totally focus on the game instead of worrying about 7 other games and their fantasy implications.

I’m thinking between @bal @PHI @WAS there might be two prime time and one 1pm

logistically I’d prefer 1pm Sunday for BAL/WAS so we can be back in NYC Sunday night

Philly is only two hours so don’t care if it’s a night game
 
Prime Video - Monday, May 12
Guessing we might know about the season opener.

Hopefully it will be Lions-Eagles. :thumbup:
I'm not a fan of prime time games, but since it's on the road it might be best to get it over with while the weather is still decent.
I love the prime time games so I can watch and totally focus on the game instead of worrying about 7 other games and their fantasy implications.
You have a point with 1pm being a little too busy. I kind of like the 4:30 starts, usually only a couple of other games on and we would still probably have the national spotlight. 🕠
 

Physicality, dirty work and a defensive mindset: What led UDFA WR Jackson Meeks to Detroit​


Allen Park — The Detroit Lions have had at least one undrafted rookie make the team's initial 53-man roster each year dating back to 2010, including three last season. So, who among the 10 UDFAs the team signed last week is capable of keeping that 15-year streak alive?

Well, if guaranteed money is a viable indicator, wide receiver Jackson Meeks has an initial leg up in that race, one he didn't cede during last weekend's rookie minicamp.

Meeks checks boxes, both on the surface and under the hood. At 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, he has NFL-ready size. And although he's not a burner, he offers an above-average athletic profile, highlighted by an impressive short-area burst.

More importantly, Meeks understands how to put his frame to good use. He paced college football with 21 contested catches last season. And what was likely music to the Lions' ears when they offered him $200,000 in guarantees to sign after the draft, he's a stellar blocker on the perimeter.

In a conversation after the first rookie minicamp practice on Friday, Meeks said his enthusiasm for blocking was born at Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama. In that competitive program, Meeks learned that excelling at the dirty work was the path to early playing time.

That served him well when he committed to Georgia. Meeks' blocking and effectiveness on special teams helped him see the field in both roles as a freshman.

"I like to pride myself on doing the dirty, hard work in the dark," Meeks said. "That means blocking on the backside of runs, blocking downfield, transitioning after somebody else made a catch to go make a block down the field to spring them loose. It's the small things that I worked on in high school that translated to Georgia. That's how I ended up making the traveling roster at Georgia, being able to start on all four phases of special teams, and getting in (on offense) to go block in certain packages."

However, Meeks hit a ceiling at Georgia. He wanted to stay, compete, and prove he could be an impactful contributor at the highest level, but also knew his time was running short. So he made the difficult decision to enter the transfer portal, ultimately deciding to follow the Bulldogs' defensive backs coach, Fran Brown, to Syracuse, after he was named the school's head coach.

"It was the best decision of my life," Meeks said. "I wouldn't be here with the Lions if I hadn't made that decision."

After catching 10 passes across three seasons at Georgia, Meeks flourished with Syracuse, hauling in 78 balls for a team-high 1,021 yards and seven touchdowns.

But it's the little things, that dirty work done in the dark, which will give him a shot to make Detroit's roster as a UDFA. That includes special teams, which is often the key area where an undrafted player can tip the scales in their favor.

"I love PBR (punt block return)," Meeks said. "I love hold-up. That's my thing. I also love KOC (kickoff coverage). I love running and heat-seeking. It's only 10 yards up here (with the NFL's kickoff format), so I can't really run as fast. At the same time, I'm going to make that play.

"I like to say I'm a defensive offensive player," Meeks said. "I create the physicality most of the time. I don't have to talk too much about it because I've put it on film. Just bringing that physicality here, wherever I go, wherever it is, I want to show I can be an asset to the team, no matter what it is, receiver, special teams. Hell, if a coach wants to put me on defense, I guess I'm going to play some defense."

Detroit drafted three players out of Georgia this year — guard Tate Ratledge, safety Dan Jackson and slot receiver Dominic Lovett. Meeks was also developed in that premier program, so it was no surprise to those former teammates why he appealed to the Lions.

"They're going to get — how can I say it — a guy that can do everything, that can be anywhere," Lovett said. "They can put him everywhere — special teams, offense, inside, outside, hold-up, gunner. Wherever you put Jackson Meeks, you're going to get the best out of him."

Meeks said four or five teams showed interest in signing him after the draft. Obviously, $200,000 in guarantees can make that an easy decision. Regardless, he said he was eager to play for a winning team that would value his work ethic and strengths.

"I know that my physicality, my hard work and the things I pride myself on in this game, that's going to show up here, and the Lions are going to appreciate how I play the game," Meeks said.

The next few months are an audition, and Meeks intends to throw himself into Detroit's playbook. He wants to be assignment sound and reliable. That also extends to being available. He was heading to the training room after our conversation, which is all part of his routine.

"I stay in therapy and make sure my body is right because availability is the best ability," Meeks said. "I need to stay available through all the phases.

As for that sting of going undrafted, it lingers. Meeks intends to use it to fuel his fire.

"I'm going to make everybody regret that," he said.
 
Trey Hendrickson says he will not play under current contract.

Brad, please at least call. You have $40 million in cap space.

Queue the "we need to save that money for our own" replies.
 
He wants an extension, not a one year raise. Money available this year doesn't equal money for the next 3-4 years. HTH.
Yeah, I understand. And? As I have said before, other teams make these "issues" work. Why can't we?
Let Jamo walk. Let LaPorta walk. I'll pay the elite D End that money.

Will the cap not go up as well? It absolutely will. There is more money.
Goff restructure? Every other QB does. There is more money you have available.
 
Trey Hendrickson says he will not play under current contract.

Brad, please at least call. You have $40 million in cap space.

Queue the "we need to save that money for our own" replies.
What kind of draft capital and contract would you be willing to give up for a DE who willing be turning 31 at end of year? Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
I can't answer that. But I would hope Brad would at least inquire.
Or, we can sit back and watch GB or Washington get him. Those are the next two highest odds per Vegas.
 
Trey Hendrickson says he will not play under current contract.

Brad, please at least call. You have $40 million in cap space.

Queue the "we need to save that money for our own" replies.
What kind of draft capital and contract would you be willing to give up for a DE who willing be turning 31 at end of year? Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
I can't answer that. But I would hope Brad would at least inquire.
Or, we can sit back and watch GB or Washington get him. Those are the next two highest odds per Vegas.
I assume they have inquired, as I think Brad is diligent at exploring all options. But the reality is that Trey is on the wrong side of the train tracks regarding age and that may not fit the philosophy of how they construct the roster. I agree with it and you do not…and that is just fine.
 
He wants an extension, not a one year raise. Money available this year doesn't equal money for the next 3-4 years. HTH.
Yeah, I understand. And? As I have said before, other teams make these "issues" work. Why can't we?
Let Jamo walk. Let LaPorta walk. I'll pay the elite D End that money.

Will the cap not go up as well? It absolutely will. There is more money.
Goff restructure? Every other QB does. There is more money you have available.
I do think Holmes keeps his finger on these things. I do not see him as overlooking any opportunities that he could take advantage of, and that's pure 100% speculation.

Based on what we see, directly from him, which is not a ton (but more than other GM's), the easy answer continues to be ... this is not how Holmes wants to manage his roster, its not his philosophy. You have valid points that are grounded in evidence of "other teams". You continue to disagree, no worries. As long as you don't expect Holmes to change philosophy or us here who disagree with you to change our mind.
 
I have the uneasy feeling that the Lions have not done enough as of yet to improve the pass rush. Hoping that guys come back from injury and stay healthy is where we are at.

So I understand the desire to add Hendrickson, Clooney and others. I am also uneasy with the draft choices used for Teslaa. There may be a time when we need those picks to plug holes midseason.


Still time for Holmes to manuever and I like Teslaas potential. If you think the Lions are OK on defense, I'd like to hear from you.
 
I have the uneasy feeling that the Lions have not done enough as of yet to improve the pass rush. Hoping that guys come back from injury and stay healthy is where we are at.

So I understand the desire to add Hendrickson, Clooney and others. I am also uneasy with the draft choices used for Teslaa. There may be a time when we need those picks to plug holes midseason.


Still time for Holmes to manuever and I like Teslaas potential. If you think the Lions are OK on defense, I'd like to hear from you.
I have some similar initial concerns. If you look at the first 5 games that the Lion’s had Hutch, only one team scored over 20 points against us. Our secondary should be noticeably better which will help. We added some beef up front and if near full health we should be just fine. We didn’t get where we are by “buying” talent (especially allocating large dollars to aging talent). Detroit built this thing from the ground up and I hope they continue to do so. Now if we add a DE on a pricey 1 year deal, I am fine with that. Just because we have one potential weakness doesn’t mean we should hit the panic button. Health on the defense is the problem, not missing on Garrett or Trey.
 
Lions have signed rookie tryout defensive lineman Keith Cooper. 6’5” 280 ED, 3 years at Tulane, 1 at Houston. Game didn’t drop off when he stepped up to the Big 12.

Last year, he started all 12 games at defensive end, finishing with 46 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 29 pressures, three batted passes, and a fumble recovery.

Better run defender than pass rusher, roughly 60/40 ratio at 5-tech (over the OT) and Wide 9 (outside OT.)

Uphill battle to make the 53-man but there is that 15-year streak of at least one UDFA making it through final cuts (3 last year.) 3 year, $2,985,000 contract including $20,000 signing bonus, $145,000 guaranteed - if nothing else could be a practice squad developmental.



3 signings yesterday:

Lions sign a trio of tryout players after rookie minicamp, waive TE Prieskorn​


Allen Park — The Detroit Lions rewarded three rookie minicamp tryout participants with roster spots on Tuesday, signing tight end Luke Deal, wide receiver Malik Taylor and defensive lineman Raequan Williams.

Deal is the only rookie from that group. The 6-foot-5, 247-pounder played six seasons at Auburn, where he thrived as a blocker, particularly in pass protection. At his pro day, he ran a slower-than-average 5.14-second 40-yard dash, but put up 24 reps in the bench press.

two-time captain for the Tigers, he set the school record with 64 games played, but he only caught 17 passes during his college career. Deal did play extensively on special teams, seeing work on kickoff return and cover, punt return and cover and the field goal kick units the past few seasons.

Taylor and Williams, who have local connections, have both been out of college since 2019.

Taylor, a Flint native who played his high school ball for Montrose and collegiately at Ferris State, was listed as 6-foot-1, 220 pounds on Detroit’s roster this past weekend.

Undrafted in 2019, Taylor tested well during the pre-draft process, running a 4.46 40 and posting above-average results in the broad and vertical jumps, short shuttle and 3-cone drill.

Initially signing with Tampa Bay, he spent most of his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, appearing in 25 games across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He caught only seven passes during that stretch, but logged more than 300 snaps on special teams. He was most recently with the New York Jets.

The 6-foot-4, 304-pound Williams played 50 games for Michigan State from 2015-19, including a streak of 42 consecutive starts. He logged 160 tackles (29 for a loss), 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles during his college career.

Since college, Williams has had stints with the Eagles, Jaguars and Panthers. He appeared in seven games for Philadelphia, tallying seven tackles. He hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2021.

Detroit had two open roster spots after the weekend, including one created when rookie defensive end Ahmed Hassanein was classified as an International Pathway Player. To open the third spot, the Lions waived undrafted rookie tight end Caden Prieskorn.

Prieskorn won a state championship as a quarterback for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s before converting to tight end in college. He played for Memphis and Ole Miss. His brother, Brady, plays tight end for the University of Michigan.
 

5 quick thoughts after meeting with Detroit Lions' retooled offensive coaching staff​


Allen Park — After three consecutive years of finishing top five in scoring, the Detroit Lions will have a revamped offensive coaching staff in 2025.

Former coordinator Ben Johnson — the architect of the Lions’ high-octane unit — now leads the Bears, and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El will serve as Johnson’s right-hand man in Chicago. Meanwhile, passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand and tight ends coach Steve Heiden are with the New York Jets, serving in key roles on former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s staff.

On Tuesday, the Lions made the seven coaches who will lead the offense available to the media. That group is headlined by Johnson’s replacement, John Morton. His lieutenants include a few holdovers — offensive line coach Hank Fraley, quarterback coach Mark Brunell, and Scottie Montgomery, who was shifted from running backs to receivers this offseason. The other newcomers are passing game coordinator David Shaw, running backs coach Tashard Choice and tight ends coach Tyler Roehl.

The media sessions lasted close to two hours, and combined with similar conversations scheduled with the defensive staff later this week, will generate an offseason’s worth of headlines that should carry us to training camp.

More immediately, here are five quick thoughts from Tuesday’s press conferences.

Rest on laurels? New staff content to bury them​

Morton and Shaw understand what the Lions have achieved offensively over the past few seasons. They’re not here to overhaul what’s working, but they’re also not going to accept coasting on those past accomplishments.

“(We have to) make sure that we’re not saying, ‘Hey, we’re gonna come back and do a carbon copy of last year,'” Shaw said. “Last year is dead. It’s gone, right? It’s in the history books, you know? We got a chance to write another chapter, so we’re not gonna be ogling at what happened last year.

“We’re also not gonna be held to it, either,” Shaw said. “Brand new year, different players, different coaches, different opponents, so it’s really taking stock in who we have and what we have and making sure that we get the most out of everybody in the building.”

While the foundation of the system that Detroit has thrived running will remain, Morton and company are building on it by incorporating concepts they’ve developed and have had success utilizing.

“Listen, Ben did an unbelievable job,” Morton said. “He’s a hell of a coach. I’m not taking that away from him, at all. I would never do that, because we’re friends. But we have to paint our own picture here, so we can get the ultimate picture, which is the Super Bowl. Like, let’s win now. Let’s get it done. We have the pieces, so it’s my job, us as coaches, everybody, I’m just the orchestrator, boom, they go do it.”

Hitting another gear​

Despite a second suspension in as many years for violating a league policy, wide receiver Jameson Williams noticeably turned a corner with his professionalism and offseason approach a year ago, resulting in a 1,000-yard campaign.

According to his coaches, he’s taking things to another level this offseason, which the team believes will pay major dividends on the field.

When I first got here, he came in to see me,” Morton said. “We had a chat and I’m painting the picture; this is what you need to do, this is how I see it. And he has been unbelievable. Unbelievable. In the meetings, the attention to detail, I mean, I’m so excited to see him this year. It’s going to be a breakout year for him. I can’t wait. I just can’t wait, man.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Montgomery, who said Williams has been impressively proactive.

“He was here when I got back here, so that's a big deal to me,” Montgomery said. “When I came off of the couple-week break we had, Jamo was already here, right? In the offseason, I didn't have to call him. Once I got the job, he knew exactly what it was. He just came up just to say hello to me because he knew what we need to get done.”

Unbreakable bonds​

Within the coaching staff, the Lions have added a couple of long-term friendships. Morton called Shaw his closest friend in an industry where it’s difficult to build that kind of trust.

Similarly, Choice forged a strong bond with defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard during their playing days, which has carried through their rise as up-and-coming coaches.

Like Sheppard, Choice is fiery. I asked how his competitiveness with Sheppard might show up during training camp.

"Oh, I'm going to talk trash,” Choice said. “We don't like each other (during practice). I may fight him. It's funny — when you're in them lines, I hate him as a player on the team, but I love him at the same time. You know what I mean?”

Remember those Duce Staley/Aaron Glenn spats captured on “Hard Knocks"? I’m expecting another round of that, at minimum.

A fresh injection of grit​

We all understand that the Lions target gritty players to fill out the roster. It’s also part of the coaching staff’s identity. It shined through in our first chat with Roehl, a former running back who will lead the team’s tight ends.

“My goal is to play with one speed, and that one speed is physicality,” Roehl said.

I asked Roehl if his coaching style matched the way he played the game, and if so, where that demeanor originated.

“I delivered the newspaper in Fargo, North Dakota,” Roehl said. “Every other day from about fourth grade until, let’s say, freshman year of high school. When you have to deliver the newspaper in Fargo in December, January, February, and it could be -25 and going through snowbanks, literally. For me, it’s just what you did. You embraced it.

“So, for me, there was always a level of, I need to have a level of grittiness to accomplish the task at hand,” Roehl continued. “So that’s just how I was brought up and that was the standard. If you don’t reach the standard, then you’re not going to fulfill the mission.”

It’s not that blocking wasn’t previously an emphasis for the tight ends, but something tells me Roehl is going to raise the bar a little higher in that room. Would you expect anything else from a man who lacked a clearly defined neck during his brief pro career?

Read on rookies​

The Lions coaches liked what they saw from their crop of first-year players at rookie minicamp, with Morton praising the surprising lack of mental errors. Still, it’s far too early to set any expectations for the newcomers.

On second-round draft pick Tate Ratledge, Fraley said there will be a continued emphasis on getting reps at center to expand the lineman’s versatility.

“Center is not as natural for him yet, so you definitely tend to give him more reps at that, snapping the ball, making it more comfortable,” Fraley said. “…I thought what he did in rookie minicamp was pretty good, for handling that. Our centers, like across the whole league, they do a lot. They have a lot on their plates. They're like quarterbacks of that o-line. They set a lot of the protections, a lot of the calls, and they work one-on-one with the QB. In time, he's going to get it down and become a pretty good center here.”

I don’t believe this is saying anything about Frank Ragnow’s short- or long-term future. However, it wouldn’t hurt to develop an alternate option for when it's needed. I imagine the cross-training is more about planning for the eventual exit of Graham Glasgow, who remains Ragnow’s primary backup.

As for wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, he impressed with his ability to absorb coaching last weekend.

“We threw a lot at him mentally,” Montgomery said. “I challenged him, put him at multiple positions to see if he could handle that. Brought him along as fast as we could. He didn't blink an eye.”

Still, no one is ready to commit to any specific role for the rookie receiver for the upcoming season.

“We’ll see, I don’t know that yet,” Morton said. “As a rookie, it’s tough, man, especially when you come from the college game and being a wide receiver, some of these guys haven’t been in a huddle. They’ve gotten signals from the sideline, and they go line up.

"I mean, it’s a lot," Morton continued. "But I can sense that I think he will be OK. I do. And we’ll have to be smart with the rookies, especially wideouts, because everything is new.”
 

Aaron Glenn talks Dan Campbell, daily Jameson Williams visits​

Aaron Glenn talked about how Dan Campbell and daily visits with Jameson Williams helped prepare him for being a head coach.

By Jeremy Reisman @DetroitOnLion May 12, 2025, 2:00pm EDT Pride of Detroit

This past weekend, Aaron Glenn ran his first-ever rookie minicamp. The former Detroit Lionsdefensive coordinator turned New York Jets coach is just beginning to lay the foundation for what he hopes will be a new era of successful Jets football.

On Saturday, Glenn met with the New York media, and immediately credited Lions coach Dan Campbell for having him prepared to take on the responsibilities of an NFL head coaching job.

“I give a lot of credit, man, to Dan Campbell for putting me in positions to be head coach for the Lions in certain situations,” Glenn said. “For him putting me in the room. For him asking my advice on how practice should go. So those are really seamless transitions for me to script practice. It’s a seamless transition for me to be in front of the team. So all those things he’s done actually prepped me to be in this position. So I give him a lot of credit for that.”

Glenn talked about how, throughout his coaching career, he’s slowly had to relate to more people. Starting as a defensive backs coach for the Saints, his responsibilities grew in Detroit to manage an entire side of the football. Now, in New York, he’ll have to lead an entire team.

But Glenn noted that connecting to the offensive side of the ball shouldn’t be a problem. He pointed to daily morning visits with Lions receiver Jameson Williams as an example of him already connecting with players, no matter what position they played.

“I think (Campbell) knew I had the ear of the team, also, and not just the defense, because I vibed with those guys on the offense quite a bit,” Glenn said. “I think I’ve said this before, but every morning at 7:30, Jamo was in my office, and we would sit there and talk.”

I don’t recall Glenn ever mentioning that while in Detroit, but it does speak to the kind of leadership qualities Campbell has repeatedly mentioned throughout his time over the past four years. Luckily for the Lions, many have been saying the same things about new Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.

“I’ve always believed that Shep could be an outstanding coach,” Campbell said at the NFL Combine this year. “About two years ago, I just felt like, ‘Man, this guy will be ready to be a coordinator sooner than later.’ So, AG and I had talked about it and tried to give him more responsibility over the last two years. With that in mind for him, that this is the next step, this is the next step. Without telling him; nothing was ever promised. I felt really good about that, like, he’s ready.”
 
The Detroit Lions will open the season away from home against the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports the Lions will face the Packers from Lambeau Field in the late-afternoon slate on Sunday of the opening weekend. Expect a lot of these 4:25 p.m. starts for the Lions this year whenever they aren’t in primetime. The Lions, the reigning back-to-back NFC North champions, have won three straight over the Packers from Lambeau Field.

 
I have the uneasy feeling that the Lions have not done enough as of yet to improve the pass rush. Hoping that guys come back from injury and stay healthy is where we are at.

So I understand the desire to add Hendrickson, Clooney and others. I am also uneasy with the draft choices used for Teslaa. There may be a time when we need those picks to plug holes midseason.


Still time for Holmes to manuever and I like Teslaas potential. If you think the Lions are OK on defense, I'd like to hear from you.
I have some similar initial concerns. If you look at the first 5 games that the Lion’s had Hutch, only one team scored over 20 points against us. Our secondary should be noticeably better which will help. We added some beef up front and if near full health we should be just fine. We didn’t get where we are by “buying” talent (especially allocating large dollars to aging talent). Detroit built this thing from the ground up and I hope they continue to do so. Now if we add a DE on a pricey 1 year deal, I am fine with that. Just because we have one potential weakness doesn’t mean we should hit the panic button. Health on the defense is the problem, not missing on Garrett or Trey.
This is where I think things become cloudy.

I had ZERO problems with how Brad built this team. However, now that this team is "built", it is time to make that one move that puts us over the top.
Instead, as you have mentioned before, his philosophy is to continue the same path.
My opinion is this window is very small. I would argue it's already closing with the loss of the coordinators, everyone another year older and MANY teams improving this off-season. Others disagree and that's fine.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope over the next few years I can come back here and say "I was wrong. Great job Brad. Appreciate the Super Bowl(s).
 
My opinion is this window is very small. I would argue it's already closing with the loss of the coordinators, everyone another year older and MANY teams improving this off-season. Others disagree and that's fine.
I don't understand how the window is very small and closing. This is one of the youngest teams in the NFL and most of the core is in their mid 20s. The only "older" players are Taylor Decker (32 in week 1), DJ Reader (31 in week 1), and Alex Anzalone (30 in week 1). It's not like their over the hill either. Glasgow is older but we have 3 young guards behind him so it's not an issue. Goff is 30 which is young by QB standards. The other core players are all young.

I'm not worried one bit about losing coordinators and other assistant coaches. It happens all the time to good teams. There will be a short term period of adjustment but they should be just fine after that.

If I thought the window was small like you do I would agree to make a big splash now. But I think the window is big if not huge.
 
Last edited:
Never thought about this

[Birkett] Lions 6th round pick Ahmed Hassanein was listed with an international player exemption designation on today’s transaction report. It appears that gives the team an extra roster spot.
So the rest of the teams can only carry 53, but Lions can have 54? I'm guessing game day remains at 48 for everyone though.
If he makes the regular season roster the extra spot goes away.
 
My opinion is this window is very small. I would argue it's already closing with the loss of the coordinators, everyone another year older and MANY teams improving this off-season. Others disagree and that's fine.
I don't understand how the window is very small and closing. This is one of the youngest teams in the NFL and most of the core is in their mid 20s. The only "older" players are Taylor Decker (32 in week 1), DJ Reader (31 in week 1), and Alex Anzalone (30 in week 1). It's not like their over the hill either. Glasgow is older but we have 3 young guards behind him so it's not an issue. Goff is 30 which is young by QB standards. The other core players are all young.

I'm not worried one bit about losing coordinators and other assistant coaches. It happens all the time to good teams. There will be a short term period of adjustment but they should be just fine after that.

If I thought the window was small like you do I would agree to make a big splash now. But I think the window is big if not huge.
There are many variables outside of age:
Significant injuries.
Disgruntled players who sit out / demand to be moved
Player salaries as you have mentioned before. Can't keep everyone.
Coaching turnover.
Other teams improving.

My point is, I have a hard time thinking we will have a better look at a Super Bowl than we did the past two years.
We blew it two years ago. They choked away the game against San Fran.
Last year it was injuries. However, I don't think this team would have beat Philly last year if they were 100% healthy. Do you?

For this upcoming season, they have an absolutely brutal 1st place schedule.
99% chance they don't get to 15 wins. Think we all agree with that.
But they may not win the division. That means road games against an improved NFC in the playoffs. Outside road games.

Did Holmes do enough this off-season to have you thinking they will win a Super Bowl?
If so, great. I don't. One of us is going to be right. One will be wrong.
 

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