Detroit, MI
Lions’ 53-Man Roster Projection: Isaiah Williams Presents Dilemma
The Detroit Lions have completed two preseason games, and the regular season is on the horizon.
In time, the Lions will have to trim their roster down to it’s final 53-man form. With the plethora in talent on the roster, coach Dan Campbell will face some tough decisions and talented players will be forced to be left off.
The Lions have plenty of options to fill out their practice squad with players who are left off, though those players may likely have options elsewhere across the league.
Here’s the latest prediction for the Lions’ final 53-man roster.
Quarterback (2)
In: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
Out: Nate Sudfeld
Hooker’s performance throughout the second half was more in line with what the Lions are hoping to see from their backup quarterback. While the Tennessee product still made his share of mistakes, he hit on 12-of-13 passes after opening 0-for-2.
His mobility brings an intriguing aspect as well, and he showed he has what it takes to pilot the offense efficiently. If it shakes out this way, Sudfeld would be a candidate to return on the practice squad and be a part of the quarterback room to mentor the young passer.
Running backs (4)
In: David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Sione Vaki
Out: Zonovan Knight, Jermar Jefferson, Jake Funk
The running back position is a deep one for the Lions. Montgomery and Gibbs give them a solid 1-2 punch, and all the options on the roster are capable ones.
Vaki has had an exciting preseason to this point, and Reynolds is the veteran option that will be tough to beat out based on his understanding of the offense and ability to contribute in a pinch. Still, Knight, Jefferson and Funk all are capable options who could be assets on the practice squad.
Wide receivers (6)
In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kaden Davis, Isaiah Williams
Out: Maurice Alexander, Jalon Calhoun, Daurice Fountain, Tom Kennedy
Injured: Tre’Quan Smith
Isaiah Williams has made a very compelling case to make the roster. He has dynamic playmaking ability and offers return versatility. However, where he runs into trouble when it comes to ending up on the final 53-man is that all of his roles are currently occupied by Raymond.
With Raymond being a safe bet to make the team, the Lions could elect to leave Williams off with hopes he makes it to the practice squad. However, there’s plenty of upside with him and it could be wise to stash him on the roster in case of injury.
Davis also helped his cause with a 61-yard touchdown Saturday. As of now, he’s out-performed Fountain in game action and could help to be a vertical threat.
It’s also worth wondering whether the Lions will peruse the market to find another receiver following final cuts.
Tight ends (4)
In: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, James Mitchell, Shane Zylstra
Out: Sean McKeon, Parker Hesse
The Lions could still go a variety of ways at this position. After LaPorta and Wright, the other spots are up for grabs. I’m choosing to keep both Mitchell and Zylstra, as both can serve a purpose within all of the Lions’ different personnel packages.
McKeon and Hesse are both veteran options who are block-first players. As a result, each has a case to make the team in the fullback role. Still, Zylstra has done some of that in the past and has the athleticism to be a legitimate threat in the passing game.
Offensive linemen (9)
In: Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow, Kevin Zeitler, Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Colby Sorsdal, Giovanni Manu, Dan Skipper, Kingsley Eguakun
Out: Christian Mahogany, Michael Niese, Kayode Awosika, Jake Burton, Duke Clemens, Bryan Hudson, Jamarco Jones
Injured reserve: Netane Muti
The lone change from the previous prediction is to keep Eguakun and cut Mahogany, Detroit’s sixth-round pick this year. Mahogany is back in the building, but his time away has created an uphill climb for him to make the roster with all the depth the team has up front.
Eguakun is an intriguing undrafted free agent who has played center for the bulk of the two preseason games. The Florida product has flashed intriguing potential and could have some interior flexibility that would make him an asset.
There are several players, such as Mahogany, Niese, Awosika and Jones, who could make pushes for roster spots in the final two weeks leading up to final cuts.
Defensive linemen (6)
In: Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Brodric Martin, Mekhi Wingo, Levi Onwuzurike, Kyle Peko
Out: Chris Smith
Injured: David Bada
The interior seems pretty set defensively, with Reader being the biggest question mark for health reasons. His status for Week 1 remains in doubt, and the Lions may be forced to roll with either Peko or Martin as the primary nose tackle should Reader not be ready.
McNeill appears primed for a big season, and Wingo has impressed the staff with his aptitude as a rookie. Nobody has had a bigger camp than Onwuzurike from a momentum perspective, and the prospect of what he can bring to the table is intriguing.
Defensive end (5)
In: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, James Houston, Mitchell Agude
Out: Mathieu Betts, Pat O’Connor, Isaac Ukwu
Injured: John Cominsky, Nate Lynn
Houston is sliding back to the edge full time, which gives him the potential to be a real threat in the pass-rush. Davenport and Paschal will likely handle most of the run defense, while Houston will likely begin the year as a rusher first with the ability to stop the run.
Agude has had a strong camp and that translated to a good showing in the second preseason game. Ukwu has also been solid and has had a sack in each of the first two preseason outings.
Linebacker (5)
In: Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Out: Malik Jefferson, Ben Niemann, Ty Summers, Abraham Beauplan
The Lions’ linebacker depth is in a good place, but injuries have necessitated bringing on veterans such as Jefferson and Summers. These veterans have legitimate experience, which would make them helpful particularly on special teams.
Because of this, it would be less than surprising for Detroit to go heavier at this position. Niemann has been solid through the first two weeks of preseason, and Beauplan had two tackles for loss in his Lions’ debut. Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard has plenty of options.
Cornerback (5)
In: Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Ennis Rakestraw, Khalil Dorsey
Out: Kindle Vildor, Steven Gilmore, Essang Bassey, Javelin Guidry
Injured: Emmanuel Moseley
With the first four spots likely locked in, there could only be one spot available for the competitors at this position. Right now, the advantage leans with Dorsey due to his upside and special teams ability. Both Dorsey and Vildor have had strong weeks that translated to their opportunity against the Chiefs.
Gilmore still has upside as well, but he played a smaller role against the Chiefs and struggled in coverage, allowing an eventual touchdown when he tried to undercut a route that he was behind. Bassey and Guidry are depth additions who just joined the organization this week.
Safety (4)
In: Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brandon Joseph
Out: C.J. Moore, Loren Strickland
One of the tougher decisions when it comes to final cuts could come at this position. Moore is a veteran whom the staff is familiar with and has contributed on special teams plenty during his career, while Joseph has had a solid camp and is proving to be a turnover artist.
Joseph had an interception in the preseason opener and forced a fumble in Week 2. The Notre Dame product has excellent instincts and plenty of scheme familiarity in his second year with the organization.
Strickland also isn’t going away quietly, as he’s stood out with his physicality and toughness.
Specialists (3)
In: Jake Bates (K), Jack Fox (P), Scott Daly (LS)
Out: Hogan Hatten
Hatten’s athleticism gives him an intriguing case to make the roster, and the long-snapper competition is likely far from over. He snapped on Saturday, and also got snaps at linebacker in the preseason opener.
The Idaho product will have a case, but the Lions had Daly snapping with the game on the line in Saturday’s game, so he gets the edge for now.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – Some Detroit officials are shining a light on ICE chases calling for change, saying they are too fast, too risky, and a danger to the community and everyone involved.
The backstory:
On Wednesday council members Denzel Anton McCampbell, Gabriela Santiago-Romero and Detroit Police Commissioner Victoria Camille, sent a letter addressing it to the head of the Department of Homeland Security – Markwayne Mullin.
In the letter they are demanding that ICE ends “dangerous pursuits through residential neighborhoods.”
They cited two pursuits — in May and June — where ICE sped through areas where children played, and both ended in injury.
Both individuals who were being pursued, they say, had no criminal activity – so they’re calling for an end to these chases.
McCampbell spoke about the letter and what they hope to accomplish.
“Talk about immigration law, this is not criminal law. So these chases are happening based on civil issues and endangering our community,” he said. “So we wanted to ensure that we sent a letter for accountability to Homeland Security to demand that they stop this and follow their own rules to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
In the letter, McCampbell, Santiago-Romero, and Camille call on DHS to:
- Cease vehicular pursuits
- Publicly release its most current vehicular pursuit policy
- Confirm key details regarding the May and June incidents
- Share findings from the resulting investigations
- Hold accountable any agents who break the rules.
They say that the majority of individuals targeted in the Detroit operations do not have criminal records, and that no civil immigration objective justifies high-speed chases that endanger the people being pursued, the agents involved, and innocent bystanders, homeowners, and children.
The other side:
FOX 2 reached out to the Detroit Department of Homeland Security Office requesting an interview and we are waiting to hear back.
Read the full letter below:
Dear Secretary Mullin:
We write on behalf of the residents of Detroit’s Districts 6 and 7 to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) immediately stop conducting high-speed vehicular pursuits through our neighborhoods, and that the Department of Homeland Security enforce its own pursuit standards with the seriousness that human life demands. In the span of three weeks, two such pursuits in Detroit have left two people critically injured, damaged residents’ homes and property, and placed children and bystanders in mortal danger. These are not unfounded notions; they happened on our streets in front of families.
On May 19, 2026, a vehicular pursuit and crash involving ICE left Yerlys Moreno López, a Detroit asylum seeker, with a broken knee and other injuries requiring emergency surgery. On June 5, 2026, ICE confirmed its officers pursued a driver on Detroit’s west side near Whitlock Avenue and Warwick Street. The driver, Mohamd Salim Abdessamed, lost control, crashed through a residential fence and garage, was impaled by a fence post, and landed atop two parked vehicles. He was hospitalized in critical condition. The homeowner reported that her garage was knocked off its foundation, and a vehicle on her property was destroyed. According to neighbors who witnessed the event, agents operated unmarked vehicles, with only one having its emergency lights activated. At this time, it is unclear if sirens were activated.
That last detail is not a minor one. Federal regulation at 8 C.F.R. § 287.8(e) defines a lawful immigration pursuit as one carried out in a “designated pursuit vehicle.” A pursuit conducted in an unmarked vehicle without activated lights and sirens does not appear to satisfy the Department’s own regulatory definition. ICE’s own 2012 Emergency Driving Handbook further directs agents to “consider and evaluate critical safety issues posed by emergency driving, including the potential risk of death or serious physical injury to themselves, the general public, and the suspect, and should engage in emergency driving only when they determine that the seriousness of the emergency or the severity of the suspected criminal offense outweighs the risk of death or serious physical injury associated with such driving.” We have seen little evidence that such a weighing occurred in either of the Detroit incidents.
The U.S. Department of Justice discourages the use of unmarked vehicles in pursuits, precisely because of the catastrophic risk to uninvolved bystanders. Most American police departments, including Detroit, prohibit chases for non-violent offenses and permit them only to prevent an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. It is indefensible that federal agents operating on the same residential streets should hold themselves to a lower standard of public safety than the local police who patrol those blocks every day. The overwhelming majority of individuals targeted in these Detroit operations have no criminal record. No civil immigration objective justifies driving a vehicle at high speed past a park where children are playing.
Accordingly, we demand that the Department take the following actions:
1. Immediately direct ICE and HSI personnel operating in Detroit and across the nation to cease vehicular pursuits in residential and populated areas except where there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to a person, consistent with best practices.
2. Confirm in writing whether the agents involved in the May 19 and June 5, 2026, Detroit pursuits complied with 8 C.F.R. § 287.8(e), including the requirement that pursuits be conducted in designated vehicles with activated emergency lights and sirens, and whether unmarked vehicles were used in either pursuit.
3. Publicly release the current ICE and HSI vehicular pursuit policy, as the most recent publicly available guidance dates to 2012.
4. Provide the complete findings of the Department’s investigations into both Detroit incidents, including any after-action review, supervisory authorization records, and any disciplinary or corrective measures taken.
5. Commit to a binding pursuit and use-of-force standard that requires supervisory authorization, prohibits pursuits for non-violent civil immigration matters, and holds agents accountable when they violate it.
Detroit is a community that looks out for its neighbors, and we will not accept a regime in which federal agents treat our streets as a place where bystanders, homeowners, and children are acceptable collateral. The next pursuit may not end with injuries but with a funeral. I urge you to act before it does, and I request a written response within fourteen (14) days of receipt of this letter.
Respectfully,
Denzel Anton McCampbell
Council Member, District 7
Detroit City Council Gabriela Santiago-Romero
Council Member, District 6
Detroit City Council
Victoria Camille
Police Commissioner, District 7
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Cc:
The Honorable Rashida Tlaib, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-12)
The Honorable Shri Thanedar, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-13)
The Honorable Gary Peters, United States Senate (MI)
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin, United States Senate (MI)
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
The Source: Information for this report is from an interview with Denzel Anton McCampbell and the letter sent to DHS.
Every seat in the Michigan Senate is up for election this year, and eight of those districts are in Wayne County.
In the 4th, 5th and 8th Districts, only one Republican and one Democrat filed for election, meaning those candidates will automatically be nominated and move on to the November ballot. Here are The Detroit News endorsements in the five contested Senate primaries in Wayne County:
1st District (Southwest Detroit and parts of Downriver, including Taylor, Melvindale and Lincoln Park): Two Detroit Democrats are competing for this seat: Abraham Aiyash and Justin Onwenu.
Aiyash is a former state representative who is hoping to return to the Legislature after a two-year absence. He is a progressive whose policy positions align with Democratic socialists.
Onwenu is an attorney who served the Mike Duggan administration as Detroit’s first Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity, helping small businesses get a start in the city. Before attending Columbia Law School, where he was president of the student body from 2023 to 2024, Onwenu worked to combat air and water pollution in Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge.
In the Senate, he promises to be a supporter of legislation to strengthen neighborhoods by lowering property taxes and investing in infrastructure.
He also supports stronger transparency and ethics rules for lawmakers. Justin Onwenu gets our endorsement in the 1st District Democratic primary.
Patrick O’Connell of Ecorse is unopposed in the Republican primary.
2nd District (Northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights and part of Dearborn): The district is currently represented by Sylvia Santana, who made an unsuccessful bid to be nominated for the Michigan State University board.
The Democratic primary features two Dearborn residents who are hoping to replace Santana: Erin Byrnes and Abbas Alawieh.
Alawieh describes himself as a political strategist, community organizer and pro-peace advocate. He is supported by the Michigan Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus and aligns with many of its anti-growth positions.
Byrnes is currently a state representative in her second term. Like her opponent, she is well to the left of center on the political spectrum. In the Legislature, she has pushed for utility rate controls.
The two Democrats are similarly positioned. Our choice in the 2nd District is Erin Byrnes, based on her legislative experience.
Harry Sawicki of Dearborn Heights is unopposed in the Republican primary.
3rd District (Detroit, Warren and Madison Heights): The contest to replace incumbent Stephanie Chang has drawn a long list of candidates. The 3rd District starts near Downtown Detroit and stretches north through the center of the city into southern Oakland and Macomb counties.
Eleven Democrats, all from Detroit, are competing in the primary. They are: Mohammad Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and Army veteran; LeJuan Council, a property manager and small business owner; John Conyers III, son of the late congressman; LaTanya Garrett, a former state representative; Korey Hall, a former director of community affairs in the Whitmer administration; Adam Hollier, a former state senator; Gary Hunter, a former candidate for Detroit City Council; Kimberly Hill-Knott, former head of the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative; Toinu Reeves, an economist, Abraham Shaw, who owns an auto repair shop, and Eboni Taylor, a community advocate.
There are several interesting and impressive candidates in this race, including Conyers, who just wrote about his father. Garrett has legislative experience, as does Hollier, whom we’ve endorsed in his previous runs for public office.
But we are most impressed with Reeves, a newcomer to politics who brings top-notch credentials to the race. Reeves grew up on Detroit’s east side and is an economist who attended Wayne State University and Dartmouth College.
He serves as chair of the Economic Development Workgroup for Detroit’s District 4 Community Advisory Committee and on the Jefferson-Chalmers Community District Council. He is a former school teacher and autoworker.
Toinu Reeves offers fresh ideas and much-needed skills, and gets our endorsement in the 3rd District Democratic Primary.
Mark Ashley Price is unopposed in the Republican primary.
6th District (Redford Township, Farmington and Farmington Hills): Incumbent Mary Cavanaugh is defending her seat from a challenge from fellow Democrat Stephen Jensen, who shows no signs of a campaign. Both are from Redford.
Mary Cavanaugh, granddaughter of the late Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, has served her district well and should be renominated for a second term.
Joi Pokerwinski of Redford Township is unopposed in the Republican Party.
12th District (Parts of Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties, including Algonac, the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Mount Clemens and New Baltimore): Incumbent Sen. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Five Republicans are competing in their primary to face him in November.
They are: Joseph Backus of St. Clair Shores, a prolific community volunteer who has run unsuccessfully for other offices; Patrick Biange of St. Clair Shores; John Goldwater of New Baltimore, an oil and gas entrepreneur; Eileen Tesch, the former mayor of Algonac who faced recall efforts, and Shelley Wright, a former general contractor and owner of a process serving company who says Donald Trump inspired her to politics.
John Goldwater has experience growing a business and creating jobs. He would also prioritize improving skilled trades training. The father of six is a conservative who describes himself as pro-life and a defender of the Second Amendment.
Our endorsement in the 12th District Republican primary goes to John Goldwater.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A 16-year-old moped driver was hospitalized after a crash on Detroit’s west side on Wednesday night.
The backstory:
Detroit police say the teen disregarded a stop sign while going east on Vassar when he collided with a vehicle turning south on Outer Drive at about 9:30 p.m.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was not injured.
The Source: Information for this report is from Detroit police.
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
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