The Detroit Lions aren\u2019t even a full week into 2026 training camp, but we\u2019ve already seen some surprises when it comes to the roster. The depth chart may not be exactly what we expected, and injuries have forced some roster reshuffling.<\/p>\n
For Week 2 of our Roster Bubble series, it\u2019s not surprising that there have been some significant shifts\u2014although most are on defense. Today, let\u2019s re-examine the players on the roster bubble on offense.<\/p>\n
Assumed in: Jared GoffNEW TO BUBBLE WATCH: Josh Dobbs: 9 \u201cIN votesLuke Altmyer: 4 votes (up 4)<\/p>\n
With Teddy Bridgewater\u2019s retirement, the Lions suddenly have a very interesting backup quarterback competition. Most of us understandably have veteran quarterback Josh Dobbs winning the competition, but Erik Schlitt stands in sole defiance, picking rookie Luke Altmyer to win the battle. The other three Altmyer votes come from staffers who are choosing to carry three quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, Altmyer has done enough to warrant consideration, but his performance in the preseason will likely be the biggest determinant of his future.<\/p>\n
Assumed in: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah PachecoNEW TO BUBBLE WATCH: Sione Vaki: 11 votesJacob Saylors: 9 votes (no change)NEW TO BUBBLE WATCH: Jabari Small: 0 votes<\/p>\n
We downgraded Sione Vaki from \u201cassumed in\u201d to \u201con the bubble\u201d simply because of his injury. At this point, it\u2019s unclear if his broken nose and poked eye will warrant a trip to the short-term IR, but no one is taking the bait yet. Instead, this Bubble Watch is a debate over whether the Lions will keep a fourth running back. Not only do most of us agree (9 of 11) that they will, but everyone is currently picking Saylors over Small.<\/p>\n
Assumed in: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, Greg DortchCedrick Wilson Jr.: 7 \u201cIN\u201d votes (down 3)Dominic Lovett: 6 votes (up 4)Tom Kennedy: 0 vote (no change)<\/p>\n
The WR 5\/6 battle is really heating up. After a strong start to camp, veteran Cedrick Wilson has cooled off a little and is currently sidelined with an unknown absence. Lovett, meanwhile, is on the opposite trajectory. He started camp with some familiar struggles, but has started to come on in the last few practices with some increased opportunities. The staff is about as split as they can get:<\/p>\n
4 have Lovett over Wilson5 have Wilson over Lovett2 have the Lions keeping both (6 total WRs)Assumed in: Sam LaPorta, Brock WrightOFF BUBBLE WATCH: Miles Kitselman (IR), Anthony Firkser (IR)Tyler Conklin: 11 \u201cIN\u201d votes (no change)Jackson Meeks: 5 votes (up 5)NEW TO BUBBLE WATCH: Thomas Gordon (0 votes)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been an injury-filled camp for the tight end position. Sam LaPorta is still working his way back. Tyler Conklin is just now seeing the field for the first time since camp opened. And last week, the Lions lost two linebackers to injuries that landed them on IR (Kitselman, Firkser). As a result, Conklin\u2019s spot on the roster feels safer than ever, but Jackson Meeks is starting to get warranted consideration for Detroit keeping a fourth tight end.<\/p>\n
While Meeks has had an up-and-down camp, I\u2019ve started to see some growth, and I do wonder if Detroit is still considering playing a high amount of 13 personnel, which would almost certainly require a fourth rostered tight end.<\/p>\n
Assumed in: Penei Sewell, Blake Miller, Larry BoromColby Sorsdal: 0 votes (no change)Devin Cochran: 0 votes (no change)<\/p>\n
None of the staff believes Detroit would be warranted in keeping a fourth offensive tackle, and the top three are firmly set. Miles Frazier\u2019s ability to kick outside will make it hard for Sorsdal or Cochran to warrant a spot on the 53-man roster.<\/p>\n
Assumed in: Tate Ratledge, Cade Mays, Christian Mahogany, Miles FrazierBen Bartch: 11 votes (no change) Juice Scruggs: 11 votes (up 1)Seth McLaughlin: 0 votesMichael Niese: 0 votes<\/p>\n
We haven\u2019t seen many changes to the interior offensive line predictions all camp, but I wonder if that could change soon. For one, Scruggs has been sidelined a few practices for undisclosed reasons. It remains unclear if he\u2019s dealing with a serious injury or not.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Bartch. He missed nearly two weeks of training camp and is just now starting to get worked into some team drills. But coach Dan Campbell offered some mixed feelings on Bartch in his Sunday press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be lying to you if I said I wasn\u2019t hopeful he would have been out there more than now, but I also know there\u2019s no setbacks, anything like that and he\u2019s a veteran guy,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cFrom what we know about him and the short time we\u2019ve been around him, he\u2019s a guy that, it means something to him. He\u2019s smart, he\u2019s conscientious, all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 There\u2019s a reason he\u2019s here, we think he brings outstanding competition. He\u2019s got a shot, but certainly he\u2019s behind the mark. I mean, he\u2019s missed some days and that\u2019s just part of coming off an injury. That\u2019s the hand you\u2019re dealt.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem is that there has not been a clear reserve beyond Bartch that has stuck out for good reasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Lions aren\u2019t even a full week into 2026 training camp, but we\u2019ve already seen some surprises…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[2131,5192,2130,349,99],"class_list":["post-809108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-detroit-lions-analysis","tag-detroit-lions-opinion","tag-detroit-lions-training-camp","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}