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The Detroit Lions have a ton of decisions to make on Sunday afternoon, as the deadline to get to roster to 53 players is 6 p.m. ET. And, personally, I believe most of the tough decisions are on the defensive side of the ball. 2026 Detroit Lions final roster bubble predictions on defense Our staff makes their final 2026 Detroit Lions roster predictions for the defensive players on the bubble. That’s highlighted by our final edition of 2026 Detroit Lions Bubble Watch, where our staff makes their predictions for which players are in, and who is out. Before we get into our defensive selections, you can catch up on other roster construction predictions below: Defensive end: - Assumed in: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, Derrick Moore - Off Bubble Watch: Payton Turner (IR) - Ahmed Hassanein: 11 “IN” votes (no change) - Anthony Lucas: 0 votes (no change) - Eric O’Neill: 0 votes (no change) Despite a very strong preseason finale—producing three pressures—Eric O’Neill didn’t garner a vote from our staff. I think he has a chance to make the roster given how disruptive he’s been in the last few weeks, but it is very hard to find room for him. Defensive tackle: - Assumed in: Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams - Tyler Lacy: 11 votes (no change) - Skyler Gill-Howard: 11 votes (no change) - Levi Onwuzurike: 9 votes (down 2) - Chris Smith: 9 votes (down 1) - Ben Stille: 3 votes (up 3) - Mekhi Wingo: 1 vote (up 1) - Tyre West: 0 votes (no change) Lacy and Gill-Howard have seemingly locked down roster spots behind McNeill and Williams. But where the Lions go for that DT5 and possibly DT6 spots remains very up in the air. Ben Stille is making a late push despite a quiet preseason finale that featured just 10 snaps. However, he has been a constant force in training camp and received some high praise from Campbell this week when asked about the veteran defender. “He’s a pro, smart, really smart. He’s got versatility, strong, very strong,” Campbell said. “He can shed blocks, shock, shed, make plays, kind of knows himself, knows what he is, knows his own limitations, and can play fast enough to cover up for some of those. But that’s what’s the intrigue with him is the versatility, man. He can play some big end, we think; he can play the nose, certainly, and then three if you needed it. So the more you can do and the more that you can prove you can do, that is always going to help your case.” He garnered three votes, which came directly from Levi Onwuzurike (down two votes) and Chris Smith (down one). Onwuzurike is a tough nut to crack, because he’s been getting reps anywhere from the starters to the third team in practice, and just about every time it looks like he’s finally returning to form, he goes missing for a large portion of practice or games. Smith is a known commodity, and his spot on the roster is essentially contingent on what the Lions want in their depth. Smith is a relatively limited player in terms of versatility (a nose tackle), but he’s also pretty darn good at it. Linebacker: - Assumed in: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez - Off bubble watch: Damone Clark (IR) - Devin White: 11 votes (no change) - Trevor Nowaske: 11 votes (up 1) - Jimmy Rolder: 4 votes (down 4) - Joe Bachie: 4 votes (up 4) - Troy Reeder: 1 vote (no change) - Erick Hunter: 0 votes (no change) Once again, our staff is split when it comes down to getting beyond LB5. Nowaske, despite dealing with a minor injury, has locked down that fifth spot, but decisions await after that. Nine of our 11 staff have the Lions keeping a sixth linebacker, but that decision hinges on what Detroit does with Jimmy Rolder. The fourth-round rookie is still sidelined with a leg injury, and he’s missed most of camp. But all signs point to him being able to return imminently, especially when he revealed a week ago that he thought he may be able to practice in the final week of training camp. But Campbell poured cold water on that last week, and Rolder never returned to practice. Does that mean he’s headed for a start on the IR to save a roster spot and delay his development? Or will he make the 53-man roster and start practicing right away? Our staff can’t seem to come to a consensus. Cornerback: - Assumed in: DJ Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Keith Abney - Ennis Rakestraw: 11 votes (no change) - Nick Whiteside: 11 votes (no change) - Roger McCreary: 11 votes (no change) - Khalil Dorsey: 9 votes (no change) No changes were made this week by our staff, but there were some interesting developments. For one, Khalil Dorsey did not play in the final preseason game. Is that a sign of his roster spot being safe as one of the team’s best special teamers, or did the Lions simply want to get more playing time for the rest of the reserves? Additionally, Ennis Rakestraw continued his up-and-down preseason with a couple of allowed catches, followed by a big interception. None of that changed our opinion, and it will be interesting to see how many cornerbacks the Lions end up keeping, especially if you consider Christian Izien a nickel. Safety - Assumed in: Christian Izien, Avonte Maddox, Chuck Clark - Thomas Harper: 11 votes (no change) - Dan Jackson: 0 votes (no change) - Brian Branch: 0 votes (no change) - Kerby Joseph: 0 votes (no change) - New to roster bubble: Aamaris Brown (0 votes) Speaking of Izien, we’re not 100 percent clear on his Week 1 status, nor do we know if Avonte Maddox is dealing with something serious after suffering an apparent injury on the final play of training camp. With no new information to work with, no one moved off their mark. However, I did add Aamaris Brown to the roster bubble for two reasons. One, I thought he played outstandingly in the preseason finale. And two, because of all the unknown injury situations at the position, it’s possible he could squeak his way onto the roster.