Lions' 2025 Week 4 Depth Chart

Up next for the Detroit Lions is a showdown with the Cleveland Browns and their daunting defense.

It will be no easy task for the Lions to secure another win, especially on the heels of a short week after Monday's gritty win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Detroit has three players already ruled out, and will carry 52 players on the active roster after placing a player on injured reserve Saturday barring a last-minute signing to the active roster.

Here's a look at the Lions' Week 4 depth chart.

Quarterback

Starter: Jared Goff
Backup: Kyle Allen

The Lions will be leaning on Goff to make plays against a dominant Browns defense, and it won't be an easy day with Myles Garrett lining up on the opposite side. However, Goff has handled tough defenses throughout his 10-year career, and the veteran will likely have answers for the problems Cleveland throws at him.

Running back

Starter: Jahmyr Gibbs
Backup: David Montgomery
Reserves: Jacob Saylors, Craig Reynolds
Injured: Sione Vaki (Out with groin injury)

Vaki has been unable to dodge the injury bug throughout training camp and the early part of the regular season. As a result, Saylors remains a valuable piece in the return game. He is above Reynolds this week because the latter was a healthy scratch last week, while Saylors was active.

Wide receivers

Starters: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond
Backups: Isaac TeSlaa, Dominic Lovett
Reserve: Jackson Meeks (Elevated from practice squad)

The snap distribution remains mostly status quo at this position, as Raymond remains the third wide receiver ahead of TeSlaa. Detroit targeted TeSlaa once last week, but the wideout was overthrown. Meeks is an intriguing practice squad elevation, though he may be limited to special teams action in his NFL debut.

Tight ends

Starter: Sam LaPorta
Backup: Brock Wright
Reserve: Ross Dwelly
Injured: Kenny Yeboah (Injured reserve), Shane Zylstra (Injured reserve)

The Lions signed Dwelly to the active roster to serve as the third tight end, and he brings eight years and 102 games of NFL experience. He played four snaps on offense last week as a practice squad elevation.

Offensive linemen

Starters: Taylor Decker (LT), Christian Mahogany (LG), Graham Glasgow (C), Tate Ratledge (RG), Penei Sewell (RT)
Backups: Kayode Awosika (OG/OT), Trystan Colon (C/G), Kingsley Eguakun (C), Giovanni Manu (OT).
Injured: OG Miles Frazier (PUP), OT Jamarco Jones (Injured reserve), OG/OT Colby Sorsdal (Injured reserve), OT Justin Herron (Injured reserve)

Decker is listed as questionable once again after a light week of practice, but he's expected to play based on all signs. Otherwise, the Lions remain fairly healthy up front. Colon was signed last week as insurance and could help in a pinch.

Defensive linemen

Starters: DJ Reader (NT), Tyleik Williams (3T)
Backups: Pat O'Connor, Roy Lopez
Reserve: Mekhi Wingo, Tyler Lacy, Chris Smith
Injured: Alim McNeill (PUP), Levi Onwuzurike (PUP)

The Lions made an interesting decision in making Wingo a healthy scratch last week, rolling with Lacy as a reserve instead. Elsewhere, it remains similar to previous weeks as the Lions seem to have a solid rotation in the trenches.

EDGE

Starters: Aidan Hutchinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad
Backup: Tyrus Wheat
Injured: Josh Paschal (NFI), Marcus Davenport (Injured reserve)

Despite being light at this position, the Lions found a way to really get after Lamar Jackson last week. Muhammad has been a revelation through the first three weeks of the season, notching 3.5 sacks through the first three weeks. Hutchinson made some massive plays late last week after being kept quiet for most of the first three quarters.

Linebackers

Starters: Jack Campbell (MIKE), Alex Anzalone (WILL), Derrick Barnes (SAM)
Backups: Grant Stuard (WILL), Trevor Nowaske (SAM)
Injured: Malcolm Rodriguez (PUP), Ezekiel Turner (Injured reserve), Zach Cunningham (Out with hamstring injury)

The Lions are leaning on their top options at this position, as Campbell and Anzalone are mostly every down players. The depth has taken a hit with the injury to Cunningham, who popped up on the injury report first on Thursday with a hamstring injury.

Cornerbacks

Starters: D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson
Backups: Terrion Arnold, Rock Ya-Sin, Avonte Maddox, Khalil Dorsey
Injured: Ennis Rakestraw (injured reserve)

The Lions are making a change, as Terrion Arnold will have a smaller workload in favor of more snaps for Amik Robertson. Because the defense plays so much out of their base, Robertson's snaps as the nickel cornerback had been limited. Now, the Lions are leaning more on the veteran, and it remains to be seen just how much action Arnold gets in Week 4.

Safeties

Starters: Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch
Backups: Thomas Harper
Injured: Dan Jackson (injured reserve), Daniel Thomas (Injured reserve)

Thomas was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, opening the door for Harper to appear as an active player. With Joseph and Branch being every down players, Harper would likely be specifically a special teams player, but it would be a good opportunity for him to be active nonetheless.

Specialists

Kicker: Jake Bates
Punter: Jack Fox
Holder: Jack Fox
Long-snapper: Hogan Hatten
Kick returners: Craig Reynolds, Jacob Saylors
Punt returner: Kalif Raymond

The Lions went away from Grant Stuard as a kick returner last week as Sione Vaki had returned. With Vaki out, they could go back to the veteran linebacker or lean on Reynolds to fill Vaki's absence. Elsewhere, no changes are expected.