Detroit Lions season preview: Depth chart, what to expect from new faces on offense

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Detroit Lions season preview: Depth chart, what to expect from new faces on offense

Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press · Detroit Free Press

Wed, Sep 4, 2024 ·

4 min read

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The Detroit Lions return nine of 11 starters on offense from last year's 12-5 team that made the NFC championship game. They have new starters at wide receiver (where Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond move up the pecking order) and right guard (where Kevin Zeitler takes over, while Graham Glasgow shifts to left guard) and a host of new faces in reserve.

Here's a look at what to expect from the newcomers in their playing rotation, and a projected offensive depth chart to start the year.

New faces on offense

RG Kevin Zeitler

Zeitler has been a really good NFL player for a long time, and that shouldn't change this season — though it's also part of the rub. Zeitler, 34, missed much of training camp with a shoulder injury and was a non-participant in some offseason workouts because of knee and ankle injuries lingering from last year. He's expected back in the lineup Week 1, and the Lions need him on the field given their depth concerns up front . Zeitler is a powerful man who's coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Baltimore Ravens , and as long as he's healthy the Lions should have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

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Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler walk off the field together during day two of the Detroit Lions training camp at the Detroit Lions Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. on Thursday, July 25, 2024.

WR Isaiah Williams

Williams made the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois after a strong training camp. He's undersized (5 feet 10, 186 pounds) and projects best as a slot receiver, where the Lions have more veteran options. But he's a playmaker who consistently makes defenders squirm in the open field. Williams probably won't have a big role this season, barring injuries elsewhere, and might be inactive early in the year given his limited role on special teams and the veterans behind him on the practice squad. But if he gets the chance to play, he'll catch whatever's thrown his way and he seems like a natural replacement for Raymond somewhere down the road.

RB Sione Vaki

Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki carries the ball as New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) and cornerback Alex Johnson (25) tackle him during the first half at MetLife Stadium, Aug. 8, 2024.

A fourth-round pick out of Utah, Vaki already looks like one of the Lions' best special teams players and as such should be active early in the season. He won't play much as the No. 3 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery , and probably slots behind Craig Reynolds , too, if the Lions need volume carries out of a replacement. But he's a good receiver and can have a role in two-minute offense or late in games if the Lions find themselves in a bind in their backfield.

OT Gio Manu

The Lions' other fourth-round pick, Manu isn't likely to play much if at all this season, and if he does, something has probably gone horribly wrong. The Lions took Manu as a developmental prospect out of the University of British Columbia and he looked the part in the preseason. He's the 10thlineman, but the team is hoping to sculpt him into something much more in the future.

Practice squad WRs

The Lions have four veteran pass-catchers on their practice squad in Allen Robinson , Tim Patrick , Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tom Kennedy. Robinson and Patrick are the biggest names. Both have had accomplished NFL careers, but are in their 30s. in Patrick's case, he's coming off two missed seasons because of injuries. It wouldn't be a shock to see one of that quartet active early in the season as the No. 4 receiver (and maybe a different vet each week), just to give the Lions a big-body option for the red zone. But like Marvin Jones , who caught five passes in six games before fading into retirement last year, the production likely will be muted behind Amon-Ra St. Brown , Sam LaPorta and the rest of the offense.