The Detroit roster is mostly decided ahead of this NFL offseason, and we now have an idea of what it will look like come Week 1. Now, the next time we see the 2023 team will be at Lions' training camp as players begin competing for playing time and starting roles. Following the Lions’ 2023 NFL draft, several Lions rookies will push veterans for their spots. This could even include third-round pick, quarterback Hendon Hooker, as well as several other first-year players.

Alex Anzalone vs. Jack Campbell

The Lions re-signed veteran linebacker Alex Azalone this offseason, and he is the No. 1 LB on the depth chart right now. They also drafted Jack Campbell from Iowa in the first round, which is higher than most mock drafts had him.

Those two players will be on the field together a lot this season, so there is room for both to play. But when it comes down to it, Campbell will challenge Anzalone for the top spot on the depth chart in Lions training camp.

Anzalone is a solid player, but he is not a difference-maker. Campbell is bigger and more physical, making him a better run defender in the box. And if the former Hawkeye can show that he can hold his own in coverage and stick with fast tight ends, he will take Anzalone’s position.

In the end, the Lions were in on Buffalo Bills free agent LB Tremaine Edmunds but lost out on him to their NFC North rival Chicago Bears. So, they took a similar player in Campbell and hope he can give them that type of production.

Tracy Walker III vs. Brian Branch

Tracy Walker III is a good veteran strong safety, but he missed the majority of last season with an Achilles tendon injury. He is working his way back, and it seems like he’ll be ready for the 2023 season. Even if he is fully healthy, though, second-round pick out of Alabama, Brian Branch, may land Walker on the bench.

Branch was the highest-ranked safety on the board in the 2023 NFL draft due to his skills and versatility. Detroit got a steal with Branch as he slipped all the way to pick No. 45. The Alabama defensive back can play safety or nickel corner, which gives the Lions’ defensive coaching staff even more opportunities to get him on the field.

With the team’s moves this offseason, it’s no secret what the defensive game plan will be. By adding Branch and former Philadelphia Eagles D-back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the team now has multiple S/CB hybrid players who can confuse offenses with multiple looks.

Between those two, second-year safety Kerby Joseph — who played well as a rookie — and offseason free-agent cornerback acquisitions Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Mosley, the Lions' five-man nickel package should be set, and Walker will likely be the odd man out.

Brock Wright vs. Sam LaPorta

This is the easiest call on the Lions' roster right now, as Brock Wright is an average tight end at best. The third-year player has contributed as a blocker, but with just 33 catches, 333 yards, and six touchdowns in two seasons, he’s not a dynamic TE.

On the other hand, Sam LaPorta, who played with Jack Campbell at Iowa, is a much better pass-catcher at the position. The TE led the Hawkeyes in receiving last season with 58 catches for 657 yards and a TD in 12 games.

The Lions rookie will have to become a more consistent blocker, but his ability to move around the formation and run routes will make him the top TE option for the Lions’ offense this coming season.

Jared Goff vs. Hendon Hooker

This last one is the most interesting, and there is little chance that former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker comes for Jared Goff’s job during Lions training camp. Hooker was excellent at times for the Volunteers in 2022, but a late-season ACL tear means he might redshirt most of his rookie season.

However, there is a scenario where Goff and the Lions struggle a bit more than expected early in the season, and Dan Campbell decides to pull the trigger on a QB switch sometime in the middle of the campaign.

Hooker has some serious upside, and he is already 25 years old. That means the sooner the Lions install him as the QB of the future on the field, the more they’ll be able to get out of him in the long run.

Detroit has something in 2023 that they haven’t had in a long time: Expectations. If Goff and company fall short of those expectations early on, a big Lions roster shakeup could be in the cards, and nothing would shake the team like Hendon Hooker coming in at QB.