The Detroit Lions released their initial 2023 NFL roster after making plenty of moves before Tuesday's roster cut deadline.

12 defensive linemen and 11 players in the secondary made the initial roster. Six linebackers, including a former fourth-round selection in Derrick Barnes, took spots in the team's lineup. The running back duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs earned spots on Detroit's roster. Montgomery, a four-year veteran for the Chicago Bears, signed a three-year contract with the Lions in March.

“Every year this is the hardest time for me and Brad (Holmes),” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Monday, via Lions Senior Writer Tim Twentyman. “There's nothing worse than watching guys give everything they've got, bust their rear, the blood, the sweat, all of it, the angst, the good, the bad. And that's hard. It's hard to look them in the eye and tell them, ‘Hey, this is as far as it goes for now.'

“But there'll be a number of guys too that, ‘Yeah, you didn't make it on this maybe the 53, but we want you back here.' And if it doesn't work out somewhere else or someone's not willing to claim you, there's a reason we want you back because we feel like you can help us and I mean, our practice squad players play. But it's tough, I mean there's nothing fun about this.”

Who is one sneaky roster cut survivor who could impact the Lions' roster in 2023?

Antoine Green

Green was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He finished his final season with the North Carolina Tar Heels with 798 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in nine games. He recorded a season-high 180 receiving yards in an October win over Pittsburgh, adding two touchdowns as the Tar Heels took the victory in Kenan Stadium.

Green starred during a 26-17 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. He led the Lions with 97 receiving yards on three receptions. The former All-ACC Third-Team selection hauled in the team's only receiving touchdown against Carolina. The 70-yard pass put the Lions up by one touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell shared his thoughts on Green's progress through the first weeks of training camp earlier this month.

“Yeah, I would say you know, inconsistent,” Campbell said, via The Lions Wire Managing Editor Jeff Risdon. “Man, he does some things that really show, and then it just, you know it dips. And there again, he's a young player. Does some things that really catch your eye, and then some things the opposite way.

“So just, he's inconsistent right now. And the more that he can – you know those can – he lessens the inconsistency, the better off he is going to be. That's part of what camp is for him.”

Detroit's offense took seventh place in the NFL with 4,444 receiving yards last season, according to NFL.com. Their 29 receiving touchdowns put them one behind the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who led the Lions with over 1,100 receiving yards in 2022, will return to the roster this season.

St. Brown, along with receivers Marvin Jones Jr. and Josh Reynolds, took spots in the starting lineup for the Lions on the team's depth chart. Jones signed a one-year contract with Detroit in the offseason. He spent two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars before his return to the Lions, recording a total of 1,361 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Green must become more consistent as the Lions run through their 2023 NFL season. If he can, he may have the opportunity to become an impactful player on Detroit's offense.