Detroit Lions Roster Cuts: 8 More Players Who Are on the Bubble

A few weeks ago, before free agency and training camp, I published a list of Lions players that were almost definitely going to be on the bubble in terms of making the Lions' final 53-man roster.

As it turns out, having a free agency period changes predictions like that. Drastically.

So with the Lions' second preseason game upon us, a bunch of new faces hanging around and training camps in full swing, there is a lot more information to go on in terms of predicting who is and is not in the mix to make the final roster.

With that in mind, here are eight more (previously unmentioned) players who are making the case to make the roster. Or in some cases, making the case to get cut.

First though, let's take a quick look at the fates of the eight players I mentioned in late July.

"On the Bubble" Part 1 Recap

In case you missed it in the last frame, here is the link to the previous roster bubble article. And here are the results thus far.

Derrick Williams

Still on the bubble. Looked to be putting together a strong enough camp to stick around, but a weak preseason game and reversion to his old mistakes put his spot in question again.

Bryant Johnson

One of the easiest calls the first time around, Johnson was cut as soon as the Lions could file the paperwork. They actually announced his release early, they were so anxious.

Jordon Dizon

Cut the same time as Johnson. Another Millen pick bites the dust. Dizon was a hard worker, but too small and derailed by injuries.

John Wendling

Was only on the bubble because of his status as a UFA. The Lions brought him back with a relatively inexpensive three-year deal, and he looks poised to reprise his role as special teams ace.

Randy Phillips

After spending pretty much all his time injured, Phillips was waived Wednesday. The development of Amari Spievey and strong play of veteran Erik Coleman likely contributed to the decision. Most likely, Phillips wouldn't have broken through even if healthy, especially with special teamer Wendling eating up a spot.

Aaron Brown

It looked bad for Brown for a while, but he's reducing his mistakes and looks committed to the playbook for once. He might be the only person on the team secretly happy about Mikel Leshoure's injury, since that will likely have the most to do with keeping him on the team.

Drew Stanton

Another UFA who opted to re-sign with the Lions. Theoretically, that would have taken Stanton off the bubble, but lately, there are murmurs that 2010 UDFA Zac Robinson might have a better grasp of the offense. The No. 3 QB job is his to lose, but it wasn't until recently anyone thought he'd actually lose it.

Zack Follett

I said in the first article that the decision for Follett to make the roster or not was his own, and I was half right. Follett basically called it a career (at least in Detroit) because of his injuries sustained last year. In practice, his neck was, in his own words, "on fire," a sure sign that his injury hadn't healed enough for game action. That said, the linebackers saw a serious upgrade this year, and linebacker spots are now at a premium. There is no guarantee Follett would have made the roster even if he had stayed; in fact, the odds would have been heavily against him.

Demario Ballard

Demario Ballard, a UDFA wide receiver out of Western Oregon, was the darling of a number of early training camp stories.

The 6'6" small-school prospect turned lots of heads by being one of the only people on the field to have to look down at Calvin Johnson.

The coaches' interest was piqued by his ability to high-point the ball (though Johnson is still able to get more vertical) and use his big body to shield defenders. He seems to have good hands, too.

He's not the fastest or quickest guy out there (though most of his 40 times clock him in around 4.5), and he's raw in the fundamentals (typical of a FCS prospect), but his sheer length makes him valuable, and he does appear to have some potential.

After a quiet first preseason game, it remains to be seen whether we're talking about "final roster" potential or "practice squad" potential. The fact that he has spent several days in a walking boot doesn't help his case.

Cobrani Mixon

Cobrani Mixon joined the Lions as a UDFA out of Kent State to very little fanfare, but he seems to be making a name for himself, even on a unit that has found itself crowded with talent.

Linebacker is one of the only areas on the team that has not been ravaged by injury at this point, so Mixon is going to have to rely on his own skills to secure a roster spot, without hoping one suddenly comes available (Aaron Brown-style).

Mixon has found himself running with the second team at times in camp, and his performance has been at least on par with expectations. Ultimately though, whether Mixon makes the team or not is going to have a whole lot more to do with his special teams play than his defense.

If Mixon sneaks in under the blade when cuts come down, he will almost definitely be the last-string LB (would you put him ahead of Tulloch, Durant, Levy, Carpenter or Palmer?), and as such, will be expected to play on special teams. The same goes of guys low on the depth chart in just about every position other than quarterback.

What the Lions are likely to be looking for here is a young player with upside who could develop into a solid defensive player in time, but can play on special teams in the meantime.

Mixon fits that mold; the problem is, someone else fits it even better...

Doug Hogue

What really got me thinking about Doug Hogue last week wasn't special teams play, or a big hit or a sack.

It was a finesse defensive play. Hogue dropped back into coverage, read the quarterback's eyes and slid over to deflect (and nearly intercept) a pass meant for a tight end on an out route.

Granted, it's one play, and it's not like Bruce Gradkowski fired the ball in there right on Bo Scaife's hands. But if Hogue hadn't been in position to read and react to the quarterback, he wouldn't have made that play. For a guy expected to face a steep learning curve with only two years of defensive experience, that's a highly encouraging sign.

Hogue's pure athleticism makes him a perfect special teams specimen, and if he continues to show potential on the defensive side of things, he could not only make the roster, but contribute in a big way sooner than expected.

Brandon McDonald

In any discussion of the Detroit Lions' secondary issues during the lockout, the majority of the optimism came from people who thought the young guns would come in and fill the void.

After all, Aaron Berry and Alphonso Smith had both shown so well before getting injured. Who knows how much potential they had?

In these discussions, I saw the name "Brandon McDonald" come up approximately zero times. But with Berry and Smith each down with injury once again, McDonald has stepped up and suddenly looks like the most promising cornerback in camp.

McDonald is in his fifth year and hasn't exactly been a world-beater in his first four. But it looks like he just might have pulled it together in camp with the Lions, at least enough to look like a solid nickel corner right now.

I'm not ready to hand him a roster spot just yet, though. Berry and Smith likely have higher ceilings, and if they can get back and pick up where they left off, they may both supplant McDonald on the roster.

Johnny Culbreath

Johnny Culbreath came to the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft, and the response was downright tepid.

It's not that Culbreath isn't talented; it's that many Lions were looking for an instant upgrade on the offensive line, and Culbreath is more of a "maybe someday down the road" prospect.

By all accounts, Culbreath should have come into training camp and been the last possible option. But a laundry list of injuries at the tackle position have forced Culbreath into action on the first string in some instances.

And even on the first string, even against the likes of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril, Culbreath has not looked lost. At a disadvantage, sure, but not as overmatched as a seventh-round pick probably ought to be against star pass rushers.

This isn't an indication that he should start from day one or anything, of course. Every injured OT on the roster is expected to be back and close to 100 percent by the start of the season, and Corey Hilliard has proven capable in his own right.

What it does mean is that while the Lions may not be a league-leading group at tackle, they have potential and depth now. Culbreath is part of that now, and he may squeak his way onto the roster if the Lions are afraid of losing him like they did Lydon Murtha (another seventh-rounder, signed by the Dolphins off the Lions' practice squad in 2009).

Zac Robinson

Zac Robinson might be the only guy on this list thrilled to find out he's "on the bubble."

Since 2010, Robinson has been the fourth quarterback on a three quarterback team. He got lucky last year because at any given point one or more guys ahead of him on the depth chart was injured.

So far in camp, he has no such luxury. But based on a very, very small sample size against Cincinnati, he may not need it.

Obviously, I'll need to see a lot more of Robinson in game action to really be able to say anything definitive about the kid, but based on the Lions' first preseason game, I have to scratch my head a little.

I was watching Drew Stanton in the game. He made some things happen, sure. It's not like he went out and threw a pick-six. He completed right around 50 percent, and put the Lions in position for a field goal.

Fine job, good for him.

Then Robinson came out to finish the game. After two runs by Ian Johnson to set up 3rd-and-3 at the Lions' 48 yard line, Robinson put the Lions in the end zone in two more plays.

Robinson went deep both times. The first was on the hands of Marcus Harris, who was being pulled down by a corner who was beat by a half-step in coverage. The ensuing pass interference call set the Lions up with a first down at the Bengals 28 yard-line.

On the next play, Robinson launched one to the other side of the field, hitting receiver Nate Hughes in the numbers five yards deep on the edge of the end zone. The pass fell in perfectly, mere inches over the outstretched hand of the defender.

A perfect pass. Touchdown.

This was a little jarring after watching Stanton throw a pass 10 yards over the head of a streaking Tim Toone. For all the good stuff Stanton has going for him, accuracy isn't high on the list. It seems like he has a ball sail out of play every two or three passes.

Now, let's throw all the disclaimer stuff out there. We're talking about two passes against the Bengals' last string in a preseason game. I'm not trying to anoint this kid to future star status here. I'm not even trying to give him Stanton's roster spot.

Stanton has an established history with the team, and even some moderate success in the regular season (as the Green Bay Packers well know). Robinson just created his first game film.

Ultimately, I still think the Stafford/Hill/Stanton lineup remains as-is, and the Lions are going to try to weasel a seventh-round pick out of someone for Robinson.

But I've been wrong before. If the Lions find that Robinson has more upside (and maybe even more talent right now) than Stanton, wouldn't they be fools not to keep him?

Andre Fluellen

We've been through this before. Andre Fluellen is the odd man out.

The Millen holdover is finally going to be weeded out.

There's no place for him on an All-Pro defensive line.

We were all convinced of it last year, and here he still is. The Lions re-signed the man after drafting another defensive tackle in the first round, for crying out loud!

Last year, Fluellen was the fourth of four defensive tackles on the roster. The three who were ahead of him on the depth chart are still ahead of him on the depth chart, and they've added a first-round pick.

Fluellen got a bit of a reprieve because Nick Fairley has been injured and unable to practice. But now Fluellen is, also, injured and unable to practice.

And now I'm not even so sure Fluellen should be worried about losing his spot to Fairley. I have a much closer eye on reserves Quinn Pitcock and Rob Callaway. Either of them could out-perform Fluellen, although it's still likely none of them make the roster over the Big Four.

Fluellen, given his size and ability, seems like he would be a perfect five-technique end for a team in the 3-4, and always looked a bit miscast in the Lions' defense. His early floating from tackle to end and back is proof of that.

Although he's greatly outclassed by the rest of the roster right now, Fluellen isn't a bad player, per se. He just might turn out to be a great "square peg" for another team.

Don't think the Lions aren't aware of this. If Fluellen wasn't injured, they'd be talking to the Houston Texans about shipping him off for Wade Phillips' new 3-4 scheme. Maybe they are anyway.

Willie Young

If Willie Young has a couple more performances like the one he posted against Cincinnati last week, he is going to force Jim Schwartz to not only keep him on the team, but let him see the field in the regular season, possibly as a third-and-long specialist.

Young is still a little guy by DE standards, with only 251 pounds on his 6'5" frame. So when he comes off the edge, a 300-pound tackle is relatively confident he won't have to handle a power move.

And yet the Bengals showed no interest whatsoever in keeping the lanky DE out of the backfield. He didn't register a sack, but he notched one solo tackle and three assists, put pressure on the quarterback all day by forcing him to step up in the pocket, and made a strong case for a new defensive statistic: the interception assist.

Bengals QB Jordan Palmer did a decent job of selling a run fake before rolling out on his naked bootleg, but Young was not fooled. After staying home on the run fake, he came face-to-face with a defenseless Palmer, who began to backpedal when he saw Young coming.

Young closed on Palmer in a hurry, as Carson's younger brother ran back and towards the sideline. But rather than run or throw the ball out of bounds, Palmer threw up a lame-duck pass to nobody in particular. Ricardo Silva capitalized by scooping the ball before it hit the turf. Interception in Bengals territory.

Silva just happened to be the guy in the area, but that pick was all Young's doing. His size and lack of experience makes him a situational player at best, but the man can make his way into the backfield and make bad things happen to the offense.

Anybody paying attention knows the Lions always have a place for guys like that. Keep an eye on Young the rest of the preseason. He just might be a guy we hear a lot more from this year.