Lions mailbag: Who are the bubble players on OL, DL? - Pride Of Detroit

What the report says

Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman reported July 23 that the Detroit Lions enter training camp with their starting offensive and defensive lines largely established, but with several depth spots still unsettled. The outlet framed the issue as a roster-bubble question ahead of the 2026 season, noting that competitions could still affect positions such as left guard, a second edge-rusher role and possibly right tackle.

On offense, Pride of Detroit said the Lions invested heavily in reserve linemen during the offseason. New additions listed by the site include Juice Scruggs, Ben Bartch, Larry Borom and Seth McLaughlin, who are expected to compete with players such as Miles Frazier, Giovanni Manu, Michael Niese and Colby Sorsdal. The central question is not only who starts, but which backups can cover multiple roles and justify spots on the final roster.

The defensive line picture was described as more complex because Detroit uses several front-seven roles, including nose tackle, 3-technique, bigger end and rush end. Pride of Detroit highlighted questions around Ahmed Hassanein’s move from rush to big end, how Skyler Gill-Howard’s arrival could affect Mekhi Wingo, whether Levi Onwuzurike’s injury history places him on the bubble despite his versatility, who emerges as the backup nose tackle, and whether Payton Turner can revive his career.

The discussion came on Pride of Detroit’s “Midweek Mailbag” podcast with Reisman and Erik Schlitt. Other training camp topics included Kerby Joseph’s status, Luke Altmyer’s quarterback role, preseason changes without joint practices, left guard candidates, potential league statistical leaders and rankings of the Lions’ seasons under Dan Campbell.