Which Detroit Lions Should Remain Part of the Rebuilding Process?

The injuries to core players have started to mount up for the Detroit Lions, especially on the defensive side of the football.

For a team in search of a core group of players that can be part of the organization for many years, losing players like cornerback Jeff Okudah and outside linebacker Romeo Okwara to major injuries sets the plans back, due to the uncertain nature of how they will perform once they return from rehabilitation.

"Luckily, we still have a lot of young guys here that are still in line, that we have a lot of faith in, a lot of hope for and that we know they will grow and we think can become pretty good players in time," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. "I mean, shoot, man, look, we still like (cornerback) Bobby Price, man. The kid’s talented, he works his rear off. We just moved him from safety to corner, right before we even started the season. We like him. Look, we like Jerry Jacobs. You’re talking about outside linebacker, we like (Austin Bryant) AB. Charles (Harris) is doing well. I mean, we still have people here that we think can help us, and they have something to work with. Look, my job is to try to get the most out of these guys that are in this building right now. And so, we’re going to do that, but we like a lot of these young guys."

Here is an early exploration into who should remain part of the Lions' organization beyond the 2022 NFL season.

Quarterbacks

Jared Goff -- Gone
David Blough -- Gone
Tim Boyle -- Gone

Running backs

D’Andre Swift -- Stays
Jamaal Williams -- Gone
Godwin Igwebuike -- Gone
Jermar Jefferson -- Stays

Fullback

Jason Cabinda -- Gone

Wide receivers

Kalif Raymond -- Gone
Amon-Ra St. Brown -- Stays
Quintez Cephus -- Stays
Trinity Benson -- Gone
KhaDarel Hodge -- Gone
Tom Kennedy -- Gone
Tyrell Williams -- Gone

Tight end

T.J. Hockenson -- Stays
Darren Fells -- Gone

Offensive linemen

Penei Sewell -- Stays
Jonah Jackson -- Stays
Frank Ragnow -- Stays
Halapoulivaati Vaitai -- Gone
Matt Nelson -- Gone
Logan Stenberg -- Gone
Evan Brown -- Gone
Will Holden -- Gone
Taylor Decker -- Gone

Defensive linemen (6)

Michael Brockers -- Gone
Nick Williams -- Gone
Alim McNeill -- Stays
Levi Onwuzurike -- Stays
John Penisini -- Gone
Jashon Cornell -- Gone
Da'Shawn Hand -- Gone
Kevin Strong -- Gone

EDGE (4)

Romeo Okwara -- Gone
Charles Harris -- Gone
Julian Okwara -- Stays
Austin Bryant -- Gone
Trey Flowers -- Gone

Linebackers (5)

Alex Anzalone -- Gone
Derrick Barnes -- Stays
Jalen Reeves-Maybin -- Gone
Anthony Pittman -- Gone
Josh Woods -- Gone

Defensive backs (10)

Amani Oruwariye -- Gone
Bobby Price -- Gone
Daryl Worley -- Gone
Jerry Jacobs -- Gone
A.J. Parker -- Stays
Corey Ballentine -- Gone
Tracy Walker -- Gone
Will Harris -- Gone
Dean Marlowe -- Gone
C.J. Moore -- Gone
Jeff Okudah -- Gone
Ifeatu Melifonwu -- Stays

Special teams (3)

Jack Fox -- Stays
Austin Seibert -- Gone
Ryan Santoso -- Gone
Scott Daly -- Stays

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