The Draft Casualties: Four Lions Fighting for Their Roster Lives
Things are changing for the Lions, and with new players added, some guys are going to be put in some tough situations. The Detroit Lions had a pretty good 2026 NFL Draft. Good enough to make you wonder which players should be looking over their shoulders come training camp time.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking. This is the part where we start feeling bad for guys who might get cut. But this is also what good franchises do. Brad Holmes builds depth, creates competition, and forces everyone to earn their spot. That’s how you stay good instead of sliding back into the abyss.
OT Giovanni Manu
Here’s the brutal math for Manu. The Lions have sort of moved themselves past him, whether they did it on purpose or not.
If you’re Manu, you now have Blake Miller and Larry Borom in front of you. There’s also Mason Miller and Colby Sorsdal to compete with for a roster spot. That’s a lot of bodies for not many spots.
Add in the possibility that Miles Frazier shifts to tackle, which makes sense for both the player and the Lions, and suddenly Manu is looking at a numbers game he probably can’t win. Unless he has a big breakthrough summer, this feels like the end of the road.
WR Dominic Lovett
The idea when the Lions drafted Lovett was to maybe have him take over for Kalif Raymond. That didn’t happen.
Lovett struggled at receiver in the preseason and got no real chances during the regular season. Even worse, the Lions seemingly never gave him a shot at return man at any point, which was supposed to be his calling card.
Now the Lions have Greg Dortch and just drafted Kendrick Law. Two guys that cancel Lovett out unless he simply outplays both of them. That’s a tall order for someone who couldn’t crack the rotation.
DT Mehki Wingo
When the Lions drafted Wingo in the sixth round, it felt like a big steal. Unfortunately, an injury in his rookie year slowed his progress.
The Lions making him a healthy scratch basically every week of the 2025 season slowed it down even further. That’s never a good sign when you’re fighting for relevance.
Then the Lions drafted Skyler Gill-Howard, who is essentially the same type of player who does the same stuff. Wingo can still win out, but he’s really going to have to compete for his spot this year. No more waiting around for his moment.
DT Levi Onwuzurike
The Lions are giving Onwuzurike basically one more shot at camp. In 2024, it seemed things were trending in the right direction. But an ACL injury at the end of the year took his 2025 season.
But now he has to compete with Wingo, Gill-Howard, Tyre West, and Myles Adams. That is a lot to beat when you’re coming off a major injury and haven’t played meaningful snaps in over a year.
If he proves he’s healthy and doesn’t miss a beat from 2024, that would be huge for Detroit. But that’s a big if at this point.
Which of these guys do you think survives the roster cuts, or are we about to watch Holmes be ruthlessly efficient again? Let me know in the comments.
I actually love that Holmes is being this aggressive with the roster. These guys had their chances and if they couldn’t step up when given the opportunity, that’s on them. This is how you build a winner instead of settling for mediocrity. The depth piece matters too when injuries happen.
Look I get the logic here, but I’m worried we’re moving too fast on some of these guys. Injuries derail careers and Onwuzurike coming back from ACL is no joke. Hope Holmes knows what he’s doing because cutting the wrong depth guy always comes back to haunt you.
This is what a real organization looks like, competing every year instead of just hoping things work out. Back in the day we’d hold onto guys way too long out of loyalty. Campbell and Holmes understand you gotta keep pushing for better talent. That’s the difference between good and bad franchises right there.
Manu’s situation is rough but Blake Miller is a legit tackle and Larry Borom gives us options. If we gotta move on from Manu to make room for the Miller kid to develop, I’m fine with it. Trust the process because it’s working so far.