One of the primary purposes of training camp is to determine which players will constitute the initial 53-man roster for the regular season. There aren’t many apparent open spots in Detroit’s 53-man roster, with the top 30 or so players effectively set in stone already.

But there are still quite a few worthy challengers competing for the final few spots on the active depth chart. Who will win those battles, and also how many players at certain positions will the LIons keep this year?

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The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit was a rousing success. More than 750,000 people crowded into downtown Detroit for the three-day event back in late April, a new record since the league started hosting the annual event in various cities starting in 2015.

Those multitudes came with their wallets open. According to data from Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission, the draft event created $213.6 million in revenue for the city and the region. The study, performed by the Sports Business Program at Washington University in St. Louis, also determined there is some real lasting impact to the draft windfall, as reported by WXYZ-TV in Detroit,

According to the...

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Former Lions cornerback Cam Sutton now has his NFL punishment stemming from the March domestic incident that led Detroit to cut the veteran starter. The league’s decision to mete out some harsh punishment on Sutton could be a boon to the Lions in their ongoing battle with their disgraced former player.

Sutton was suspended by the NFL for eight games on Monday for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Sutton will not appeal the suspension, meaning he will miss Pittsburgh’s first eight games.

The lengthy suspension could help the Lions in their quest to have his guaranteed money voided. The team filed the necessary paperwork to have Sutton’s contractual legacy voided for his conduct, but Sutton apparently...

The Detroit Lions rewarded All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with a new contract that made him the highest-paid wideout in the NFL. The four-year, $120 million extension that included $77 million guaranteed is a massive deal, albeit one that was quickly surpassed by Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson in the record books.

Despite the $30 million per year average, St. Brown’s new contract is structured such that barely 10 percent of that APY counts against the Lions’ salary cap this season. Amazingly, St. Brown only counts as a cap hit of $4.86 million in 2024, thanks to some creative cap management in the way his deal is constructed.

Detroit’s savvy cap manipulation permeates beyond St. Brown at wide receiver. The entire WR corps will count just $21.543 million against the salary cap, which represents 8.5 percent of the team’s spending. The dollar...

Lions legend Barry Sanders has gone public with a recent health scare, one that is forcing the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back to change up his schedule.

Sanders, 55, revealed on his social media that he suffered a heart-related problem over Father’s Day weekend. Without going into detail regarding exactly what happened, a grateful Sanders thanked the medical professionals who came to his aid. Sanders also thanked fans for their thoughts and prayers.

Based on his note, don’t expect to see Sanders making any public appearances anytime soon.

“Per my doctor’s recommendation, I am taking this opportunity to prioritize my health and well-being. I appreciate your understanding and continued support,” Sanders concluded his statement.



Sanders does many public appearances and autograph signings, but that likely has been shelved for some time for perfectly understandable reasons...

With the UFL season about to conclude, the players in the merged spring league are about to be available for NFL teams to sign. The Detroit Lions have already set their sights on one player from the Michigan Panthers, who play in Ford Field.

As has long been dreamt about by many a Lions fan, the Lions are expected to sign Panthers kicker Jake Bates. Aaron Wilson of KPRC-2 reported on Friday night that the Lions are going to sign the big-legged Bates. Wilson notes the move won’t happen before Tuesday, which is June 18th.

Bates set the football world on fire with a 64-yard field goal in the first game of the season for the Panthers. Despite never being a regular kicker before–he was only a kickoff specialist in college–the Houston native made three FGs from at least 60 yards. He finished the UFL...

Former Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew was arrested and faces charges stemming from an altercation in a convenience store in the Dallas area.

TMZ Sports posted surveillance video from the 7-Eleven in Texas where the incident occurred. In the clip, Pettigrew is involved in a progressively escalating discussion with police who were responding to the situation. This took place in the early AM hours over the weekend.

Pettigrew appeared to punch a display case but then raised his hands after police pulled tasers and pointed them at him. He left in handcuffs.

A first-round pick out of Oklahoma State back in 2009, Pettigrew spent all seven of his NFL years in Detroit. His best campaign came in 2011, when the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder caught 83 passes for 777 yards and five touchdowns...

After working hard to establish himself as one of the NFL’s top special teams players, Lions safety CJ Moore lost an unnecessary gamble that nearly cost him his career. The NFL suspended Moore, along with several other Lions, indefinitely last spring for violating the league’s gambling policy. Detroit cut Moore as a result.

Moore is now back with the Lions. After being reinstated earlier this offseason, the Lions re-signed Moore after the 2024 NFL Draft to return to his reserve safety role and special teams prowess.

While Moore refused to give specific details about his gambling, he acknowledged his mistakes and owned responsibility for costing himself a valuable season.

“I knew the rules, just like I said, just being immature, just gambling, losing...

The NFL has long avoided adopting any sort of draft lottery system. The worst team earns the top pick every year. It’s a system that has generally served the league, not to mention the Detroit Lions, pretty well over the years.

The NBA, of course, has had a draft lottery for almost 40 years now. The worst team doesn’t get the first pick automatically. In fact, the team with the worst record can fall to fifth in the draft if they don’t get lucky in the weighted lottery.

Such is the case for the Detroit Pistons. For the second year in a row, the Pistons had the NBA’s worst record in the regular season. And for the second year in a row, the Pistons got the worst possible outcome in the NBA draft lottery. They will pick fifth despite having a franchise-worst 14-68 record.

In the NBA’s system, the Atlanta Hawks catapulted from having the 10th-worst record to the No. 1 pick. That’s akin to the New York Jets vaulting from the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the top spot on the fate...

Despite some Lions players from last season signing lucrative free agent deals elsewhere this offseason, Detroit is not projected to earn any compensatory selections in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The latest projections for 2025 comp picks from both NFL.com and Over The Cap do not include the Lions among those teams receiving any. The Lions are one of 17 teams whose spending on incoming free agents canceled out the losses from the roster in the qualifying portion of free agency.

The formula for awarding compensatory picks isn’t completely known, but it’s based on a formula that balances the average per year (APY) value of contracts signed by qualified free agents departing the team against the APY value of free agents the team...

The Detroit Lions have selected Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw with the No. 61 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

Rakestraw joins a secondary that also added fellow SEC cornerback Terrion Arnold, from Alabama, in the first round one night earlier. He was a popular projection for Detroit throughout the draft process.

Here’s a quick snippet from our scouting report on Rakestraw,

Rakestraw is a good outside cornerback prospect with some legitimate questions about his ability to thrive at the next level. He’s smart, cat-quick, and at his best in the physical man coverage the Lions like to use outside. While he’s not a great run defender, he’s at least willing. His feet, hips and balance are all fantastic—traits a coaching staff can work with.

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GM Brad Holmes has once again demonstrated his willingness to make bold moves in the draft to secure top talent for the Detroit Lions. Trading up from the 29th to the 24th pick, Holmes orchestrated a move to acquire Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, one of the premier defensive prospects in this year’s draft class.

The draft’s early focus on offensive players unexpectedly pushed down defensive talent, creating an opportunity for the Lions to snag Arnold. While many anticipated Arnold would be off the board before the Lions’ pick, Holmes recognized the exceptional value and didn’t hesitate to make the trade.

Arnold’s arrival addresses a significant need for the Lions, further fortifying a revamped cornerback room that includes additions such as Carlton Davis, Amik Robertson, and Emmanuel Moseley. Despite the cost of trading up, which left the Lions with limited draft capital and without a third-round selection, securing Arnold was deemed essential to bolstering the team’s...

After lots of hype and speculation about the potential designs, the Detroit Lions unveiled their new uniform combinations on Thursday night.

It’s the first redesign of the team’s jerseys and base uniforms since the current regime of GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell took over before the 2021 season. The Lions have had the same basic design since the 2017 season.

The new jerseys feature a wider font in the numbers and changes to the striping and chest designs. The colors remain the same Honolulu blue and silver, and an alternate black third jersey has been added. They can be worn with all-black pants as well.

In addition, a third helmet featuring a base blue with black accents will debut in 2024.

Some examples, courtesy of the Lions:


Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the 2024 uniform media day in New Hudson, MI on March 6, 2024. (Detroit...

An unfortunate interruption to the NFL free agency and draft discussions hit Detroit on Wednesday. A warrant for the arrest of Lions cornerback Cam Sutton was released on social media by officials in Florida involving charges of domestic violence that include strangulation.

Sutton has been missing since the incident in the early hours of March 7th in the Tampa region. His phone and car remain unable to be found, too.

Here’s everything we know about the ongoing situation with Sutton, from the start to the most current. We’ll keep updating as we learn more facts.

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Some disturbing offseason news on the Lions front: An arrest warrant has been issued in Florida for Detroit cornerback Cameron Sutton.

Hillsborough County posted the arrest warrant online after being unable to locate Sutton within their jurisdiction. The warrant cites aggravated battery – domestic violence.

The picture on the post eliminates any doubt that it’s the same Cameron Sutton who plays for the Lions.

𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧?
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office needs your assistance in locating a wanted subject: Cameron Sutton, 29.

He is wanted for Aggravated Battery – Domestic Violence. He may be driving a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with a plate number of… pic.twitter.com/uwn7H0sSXo

— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) March 20, 2024

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The Lions first activity of the offseason at wide receiver arrived on Saturday afternoon. Numerous reports indicate that free agent Donovan Peoples-Jones is heading back to Detroit on a one-year contract.

Per Aaron Wilson, it’s a one-year deal worth up to $2 million for Peoples-Jones to return to the Lions. Detroit acquired the 25-year-old from Cleveland at the trade deadline last fall.

In eight games with the Lions, the Detroit native (Cass Tech HS) caught five passes for 58 yards. Despite having experience as a return man in his Browns days, the Lions opted not to utilize Peoples-Jones in that capacity.

His return bolsters the wideout depth chart, which had lost him and starter Josh Reynolds as free agents. Reynolds remains unsigned.

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The Detroit Lions have agreed to a free agent contract with veteran cornerback Amik Robertson. Per various reports, it’s a two-year deal worth $9.25 million with the potential for Robertson to earn more.

Robertson has spent his entire NFL career with the Raiders. The 25-year-old has played in every game over the last two seasons. He’s a 5-foot-9 corner who was a fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech in the 2020 NFL draft.

Robertson effectively confirmed the deal on his own social media,

Say Nomore. More Confident Than I Ever Been. Detroits Let’s Do It.

— Amik Robertson (@_YoungTruth7) March 12, 2024

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Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trade!

The Detroit Lions have traded a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In exchange for the pick, Detroit will receive starting cornerback Carlton Davis, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

It’s a move that brings instant stability and credibility to the Lions at the outside cornerback position. Davis, 27, has started 75 games for Tampa Bay over the last six seasons.

The 6-foot-1 Davis is entering the final year of his contract. He is due $14.5 million for 2024 and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season unless the Lions agree to a contract extension.

Trade:

Lions receive: CB Carlton Davis, Buccaneers 2024 6th-round pick and a 2025 6th-round pick.

Buccaneers receive: Lions 2024 third-round pick.

— Adam Schefter...

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson is one of several free agents from the Detroit Lions about to hit the open market. At least one source doesn’t believe “Ceedy Duce” is returning to Detroit and went on the record from the NFL Scouting Combine to link the versatile defensive back to another team.

From Tony Pauline at Sportskeeda,

The Philadelphia Eagles will look to bring in a safety in the offseason, via free agency or the draft. People at the combine get the sense that there’s a real chance the Eagles bring back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who is scheduled to hit the free-agent market. Gardner-Johnson played for the Eagles in 2022 before signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions last year.

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From the Lions side of the equation, there’s reason to increasingly believe he won’t be back in Detroit after one season. Gardner-Johnson missed 14 games with a pectoral...

The NFLPA conducted a broad polling of its player constituency for the second year in a row. The player’s union published the report card for all 32 teams based on the 2023 player survey.

Detroit fared better in the 2023 survey and grading than the Lions did in 2022, the first year of the initiative launched by NFLPA president JC Tretter.

The full set of Lions grades from the NFLPA’s report card:



Breaking down some of the individual categories, the Lions showed some improvement.

The training staff ranked 12th, but that’s a big step forward from last year’s No. 22 ranking. The Lions overhauled the training staff, and the reception to the changes has been...