The Detroit Lions wrapped up their 2024 preseason on Saturday by securing their second win of the exhibition slate with a 24-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, the win means nothing, as the preseason is all about evaluating players and trying to find the best 53 for the initial regular season roster. Now that the preseason is in the books, the Lions will begin cutting down to that number.
Detroit still has a few more days to whittle things down, though, as the cutdown deadline falls on Tuesday, Aug. 27. And that will only be the initial 53-man roster, as the Lions are likely to make more moves before the start of the season.
The preseason finale on Saturday was the final chance for players to state their case for a roster spot and/or role. Here's a look at players who helped or hurt their respective causes the most.
Detroit Lions who helped, hurt their cause
Helped: WR Isaiah Williams
Williams was the most consistent wide receiver the entire preseason a distinction he solidified on Saturday. He didn't do a ton in the passing game in preseason Week 3 after two standout showings in the last two exhibition contests but still managed to haul in a 17-yard pass. Adding to that, Williams once again shined in the return game with a 37-yard kickoff return and 16-yard punt return.
Despite his impressive showing in the preseason, there remains doubt about whether or not Williams will make the cut because he's a slot specialist. If it wasn't for that, there would be no doubt about the Illinois product grabbing a roster spot. I still think he does.
Hurt: QB Hendon Hooker
After head coach Dan Campbell said Nate Sudfeld had the "upper hand" in the backup competition with Hooker, the second-year signal-caller needed to come out and have a great game if he wanted to enter the year as the backup.
Unfortunately, Hooker had a disastrous start to the contest before the Steelers pulled their best defenders. The Tennessee product was sacked five times, some of which were a result of him holding on to the ball for too long. His first four drives went fumble, punt, punt, punt before he closed out the half with two touchdown drives.
Hooker ended up leading the Lions on three scoring drives in total and definitely had a bounce-back showing after his rough start, but he also fumbled twice, losing one, and threw a pick.
It's doubtful he did enough to convince the Lions he should be the QB2 entering the season. Making it more clear Sudfeld might have the job, the veteran didn't play at all in this contest.
Helped: LB Ty Summers
It might be too little too late for Summers, who was signed a few weeks back, but he did all he could to state his case for a roster spot. If nothing else, he may have earned himself a job on the practice squad.
Summers was all over the place on Saturday, notching a team-high nine tackles, with two going for a loss. He also added 1.5 sacks for good measure.
Hurt: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
Entering training camp, the expectation was that Peoples-Jones was a lock to be the No. 4 receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond.
However, preseason Week 3 was just the latest disappointing showing for the veteran, who failed to bring in any of his three targets. He may end up being the No. 4 receiver anyway, but it'll be by default and not because he earned it.
Helped: WR Maurice Alexander
After a rough start to the preseason, Alexander has helped his cause in each of the last two exhibition games. After tallying two catches for 40 yards last week, the former UDFA led the team with four catches for 60 yards on Saturday. He also added two kickoff returns for 55 yards, including a long of 31.
It remains to be seen if his strong finish to the preseason will be enough to grab a roster spot, but he did all he could to give himself a chance.
Hurt: K Jake Bates
There have been questions about Bates' ability to be consistent all offseason long and that hasn't changed after the preseason.
Bates entered the preseason finale a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals, but he did miss an extra point last week. This week, Bates missed a chip-shot 30-yard field goal before making his final attempt from 46 yards, although he nearly missed it.
The Lions are still likely to go into the regular season with Bates as the kicker, but this showing made it crystal clear that Detroit needs an insurance policy on the practice squad.
Helped: DE Isaac Ukwu
All Ukwu has done this preseason is make plays, and he continued that against the Steelers.
The UDFA tallied two tackles (one for loss) and a sack, with the sack coming when he pushed a Steelers offensive lineman into the quarterback, leading to a fumble. He now has one sack in each preseason contest.
Hurt: TE James Mitchell
Mitchell has been very quiet the entire offseason and desperately needed to stand out. Instead, he didn't record a single catch and had a bad drop. Making matters worse, one of the guys he's competing against for a roster spot stood out.
Helped: TE Shane Zylstra
Zylstra was the third-most productive pass-catcher for Detroit, reeling in four grabs for 29 yards. The Lions have a few spots up for grabs behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright, and Zylstra should probably get one of them.
Helped: LB James Houston
Houston doesn't feel like a lock, but if there was any question going into the final preseason game, he definitely helped himself out. Houston finished with three tackles (one for loss), two QB hits and a sack to close out his preseason.
