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The Detroit Lions are ready to compete ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Detroit had a dominant 2024 regular season, but it did not lead to any postseason success. Now the Lions are under more pressure than ever to get back to the playoffs and start stacking wins.
Thankfully, there is almost no team in the NFC better prepared to do just that than Detroit. Perhaps only the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Lions have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL thanks to the hard work of GM Brad Holmes.
But that can be a double-edged sword. With so many talented players, roster cut down day is bound to include some very tough decisions.
Detroit will also have to make some tough calls with the depth chart. Could the Lions see some shake up on the depth chart ahead of the new year?
Below we will explore two Lions first-stringers who could be in danger of losing their starting jobs before the start of the 2025 NFL season.
Isaac TeSlaa has a chance to win WR3 job over Tim Patrick
It is still very early in Lions training camp. However, it does seem like a distinct possibility that Isaac TeSlaa could supplant Tim Patrick as the team's third wide receiver as early as Week 1.
This is a possibility both because TeSlaa has played well early in camp. Also because Patrick has struggled early.
Patrick admitted in a recent interview that he's never been in a training camp like Detroit's before.
“Camp is where you really find who you have, you bond with your teammates, you go to war with them every day, because camp is hard. This is my first time going through a camp like this,” Patrick said.
Patrick joined the Lions in 2024 just before the start of the regular season. That makes this his first full offseason as a Lion.
Patrick is confident that he'll be back to normal by Week 1. The question is, will he still have his starting job at that point?
“Yeah, starting off a little slow, but I promise you by the time the season comes, I’m gonna be firing on all cylinders,” Patrick added.
Meanwhile, TeSlaa has been making waves both at practice and during the preseason.
TeSlaa logged two receptions for 46 yards on just three targets in the Hall of Fame game last week.
It seems the Lions are rewarding him for that impressive performance. According to Lions reporter Justin Rodgers, the team has “sprinkled in” TeSlaa with the first-team offense at training camp practice.
This training camp battle is far from over.
Lions fans should keep a close eye on both players during the regular season to get a clue as to who could starter in Week 1.
Even if TeSlaa does not win the WR3 job, it is clear that he could have some kind of role
Could Tyleik Williams steal D.J. Reader's spot as DT2 before the regular season?
This training camp battle is more about what it says on the depth chart vs. what Lions fans will see on the field.
Detroit's starting defensive tackle, when healthy, is star Alim McNeill. However, he is still recovering from a significant injury he suffered last season.
Alim McNeill tore his ACL in Week 15 against the Bills. He is slated to miss the first half of the 2025 NFL season because that injury happened so late in the 2024 season.
As a result, it is practically guaranteed that both Williams and Reader will start for the Lions to begin the regular season.
The real question becomes: what will happen once Detroit gets McNeill back?
It seems clear that the Lions would prefer for their first-round pick to win that battle. After all, it would signal great things about the future of the team's defensive line.
If the Lions had their way, Reader would only need to be deployed on obvious running downs. That is Reader's calling card as a run-stuffing nose tackle.
That said, the Lions will be forced to lean on Reader much more often to start the season. Detroit is also set to be down second-year player Mekhi Wingo, edge rusher Josh Paschal, and Levi Onwuzurike at the start of the regular season.
These are the players the Lions would love to sub Reader out for on medium down and distances, as well as obvious passing downs.
The message here is that both Reader and Williams will play a lot early in the season. But they will compete for a spot next to McNeill later in the season.
It will be fascinating to see how Williams adjusts to Detroit's defensive scheme during his rookie year.
