ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions open the 2023 NFL regular season on Sept. 7, the league's Thursday night kickoff game, versus the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
After closing out the 2022 season winning eight of their final 10 games, the Lions enter training camp with bigger goals. Detroit could be in position to win its first-ever NFC North division title, but coach Dan Campbell has said all offseason long that he's not buying into the preseason hype surrounding this team until they can develop chemistry and actually produce victories.
The Lions haven't reached the postseason since 2016, so training camp will be pivotal for getting some of the new guys acclimated to the system.
"We got to build from the ground up with. Yeah, we got foundation, but yeah man, we got to get the chemistry right, we got a lot of new faces. And all of that other stuff won't matter, if we don't put the work back in, so that, to me, is the focus," Campbell said during OTAs on May 25th. "I mean, we can't worry about what everybody else says, just like last year."
Here is the 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Jared Goff, Nate Sudfeld, Hendon Hooker
Goff is the clear starter, but they did re-sign Sudfeld to fill the backup role. The Lions also drafted Hooker, who is recovering from a torn ACL, but is expected to develop in the system and learn under Goff.
RUNNING BACK (5): Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, Jermar Jefferson, Jason Cabinda (FB)
The running back room will look completely different than it did a year ago. Detroit traded D'Andre Swift and let Jamaal Williams go in free agency, and then drafted Gibbs at No. 12 overall and signed Montgomery, formerly of the Bears. Detroit also has a new running backs coach, Scottie Montgomery.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Marvin Jones Jr., Denzel Mims
Williams will miss the first six games of the season after being suspended for violating the NFL's gambling policy. St. Brown is returning for Year 3 following his first 1,000-yard season, and the team brought back Jones for his second stint with the Lions and who can provide a veteran presence in the locker room.
TIGHT END (3): Brock Wright, Sam LaPorta, James Mitchell
The Lions went with a committee approach at tight end after trading away Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings last season. However, that could change with the Lions drafting LaPorta in the second round of this year's draft. He has a big opportunity to show his value during camp.
OFFENSIVE LINE (7): Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Penei Sewell, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Matt Nelson, Graham Glasgow
Detroit's offensive line is arguably the strongest unit on the team and a big reason why Goff was able to be so successful last year. The Lions are bringing back Pro Bowlers Ragnow and Sewell for strong protection.
DEFENSIVE LINE (11): Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Isaiah Buggs, James Houston, John Cominsky, Brodric Martin, Levi Onwuzurike, Charles Harris, Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara, Josh Paschal
The Lions defense was wreaking havoc last season, with Hutchinson and Houston becoming the first rookie teammates in league history to have at least eight sacks in the same year. The boys are back with a year of experience under their belt as they'll try to build a foundation from their young roster, with Paschal also expected to contribute in a big way.
LINEBACKER (6): Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Anthony Pittman
Drafting a linebacker at No. 18? That's what the Lions did this year when they selected Iowa's Campbell in the first round, but he'll have to fight for the starting role in a competitive linebacker room led by Kelvin Sheppard, who has declared an open competition for the lead spot.
CORNERBACK (5): Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, Jerry Jacobs, Will Harris, Chase Lucas
The secondary was one of the team's weakest units this past season, but even Goff noticed an improvement from as early as mandatory minicamp, where he praised the upgraded unit. The new faces, like Sutton, are ready to compete. "It's been much stickier and much harder for us to gain separation at this point in OTAs and I think they've done a hell of a job making it harder on us and growing as a unit over there too," Goff said in June.
SAFETY (4): C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Kerby Joseph, Tracy Walker III, Brian Branch
Walker told ESPN that he's "100%" ready for the start of training camp following his season-ending Achilles injury last season. The Lions will need as much help as possible in the secondary. The defense allowed 4,179 passing yards in 2022 -- only two teams allowed more, the Vikings (4,515) and Titans (4,671).
SPECIALISTS (3): Riley Patterson, Jack Fox, Jake McQuaide
Fox is a key contributor to a special teams unit that completed three successful fake punts last season. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp isn't afraid to get creative and he has the tools to orchestrate those plays.