Lions' Bubble Watch After Giants Victory: Defense

A preseason opening win over the New York Giants gave the Detroit Lions a first look at the new pieces on their roster.

The preseason gives fringe roster players opportunities to show off their mettle in a game setting. This allows the team to sufficiently evaluate said players before whittling down its roster.

Here's a look at the Lions' defensive roster bubble, after one week of preseason action.

Defensive line

Benito Jones
Christian Covington
Corey Durden
Chris Smith

The Lions' defensive line rotation is appearing to set itself up. The emergence of Brodric Martin and the steadiness of Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs has cemented that trio as the frontrunners.

Meanwhile, Levi Onwuzurike continues to make strides in development. As a result, the four above are on the outside-looking- in for the time being.

Covington has the best case, given his veteran savvy and ability to slide out near the edge on the line. However, he'll need strong showings in each of the Lions' last two games to make his case.

Linebacker

Anthony Pittman
Trevor Nowaske

Julian Okwara helped his case immensely with three sacks in the preseason opener. For now, he's off the bubble.

Pittman and Nowaske still have fighting chances to make the roster, as a result of their special teams ability. Nowaske, a UDFA out of Saginaw Valley, drew praise from Campbell on Monday.

If either are to make the final cut, they'll have to outperform the likes of Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Lions are already deep at linebacker, so the final players on the roster will be asked to contribute heavily on coverage teams.

Cornerback

Chase Lucas
Starling Thomas V
Steven Gilmore
Khalil Dorsey
Saivion Smith
Colby Richardson

Lucas didn't help himself with a poor showing in the preseason opener. He struggled working as the slot corner, and was beaten twice for completions in man coverage.

Thomas was one of the top early undrafted free agents, but he didn't pop in the preseason game. Still, he has been working with the second-team defense, indicating that he may be ahead of Lucas and the others.

Emmanuel Moseley being out opens a spot on the roster. However, Detroit may be simply too deep to keep more than one player on this list.

Thomas is the front-runner of this group, but a strong week from Lucas or Gilmore could change that quickly.

Safety

Ifeatu Melifonwu
Brady Breeze
Brandon Joseph

Melifonwu needs to remain in action and avoid any setbacks to feel comfortable with his spot moving forward. There's potential with the young player, but inconsistency has hindered him early in his career.

Breeze has spent time working as the personal protector on the punt team since the retirement of Justin Jackson. As a result, he could prove himself worthy of a roster spot at a key special teams position.

Brandon Joseph had an interception to seal the win over the Giants, but he hasn't been consistent enough to warrant significant consideration for a roster spot.