5 Players Who Won't Be On Detroit Lions 2026 Roster Week 1

The Detroit Lions will have some difficult decisions to make as their roster fills up.

With over 10 external free agents added and still more on the way in next month's draft, the Lions will have to make some tough calls on talented players currently on their roster. Teams can take up to 90 players on their roster into training camp, but must have that whittled down to 53 by the start of the regular season.

Here are five Lions who may be on the outside looking in when the team is forced to make final roster cuts at the conclusion of training camp.

DL Tyler Lacy

The Lions have added some help on the defensive line, particularly at the end position in free agency. As a result, spots could be growing thin for a player like Lacy, who spent time both as a tackle and as an end in 2025.

A waiver claim at the conclusion of training camp last season, Lacy did play a rotational role last season and has some upside. However, with D.J. Wonnum and Payton Turner joining the fold, he may be forced to focus on the interior.

If the Lions continue to address the defensive line in the draft, they may be more inclined to stick with their young talent than role with a veteran like Lacy. Levi Onwuzurike's return further complicates his roster chances, as when healthy Onwuzurike has developed nicely into a contributor.

OL Michael Niese

Detroit emphasized improving on the offensive line this offseason with the additions of Cade Mays, Larry Borom and Juice Scruggs. The team also returns young guards Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany, which give them solid starting caliber guards.

Behind Ratledge and Mahogany, Scruggs and second-year guard Miles Frazier figure to be the team's backups. This will limit spots, and as a result the pressure will be on Niese after he made the roster as a depth option last year.

Niese has contributed in spot duty during his tenure with the Lions, but has yet to carve out a steady role. He'll be facing pressure to assert himself amidst an interior line that is quickly growing crowded in Detroit.

S Loren Strickland

The battle for the final roster spots in training camp could come down to the safety position, specifically involving Strickland and 2025 seventh-round pick Dan Jackson. Strickland has been around the organization for going on three years and has proved dependable, but there may not be room for him in 2026.

Detroit is hoping to get Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch back after both suffered season-ending injuries in 2025, and have two solid backups at the position in Thomas Harper and newly signed Christian Izien.

Harper impressed as a waiver claim, while Izien brings some versatility as a new addition. It could come down to Strickland and Jackson, and the Lions may be more inclined to stick with the second-year safety rather than continue to roll with Strickland.

OL Colby Sorsdal

Sorsdal is entering a big training camp ahead of what will be the final year of his rookie contract. After missing all of last season, there will be pressure on him to stand out quickly in camp. He appeared in 14 games as a rookie with three starters, but his role dipped in his second season and his third ended in the preseason due to an injury.

With the room growing crowded at guard, the tackle position may be Sorsdal's best chance to crack the roster. However, the addition of Borom and the potential for the team to draft a tackle could make that room start to fill up as well. As a result, Sorsdal likely faces an uphill climb to make the final roster.

TE Zach Horton

Detroit's new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing certainly has an affinity for multi tight end packages, and the team could be inclined to carry as many as four on their active roster. However, with the addition of Tyler Conklin, the team may not want to keep a player like Horton.

In Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and now Conklin, the Lions have three proven tight ends capable of handling a workload both as run-blockers and receivers. Horton showed some flashes of ability as a tight end and a fullback in training camp last year, which led to some opportunities as an elevation.

Yet, Horton may not be able to put together a strong enough case, and as a result may begin the year on the practice squad once again.

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