The Detroit Lions players have one more chance to impress their coaches and make their best case for a spot on the 53-man roster. Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns could be the difference between employment and retirement for some players.But before we jump into post-game analysis http://www.thelionsfootballauthentic.com/christian-jones-jersey-authentic , let’s take a look at where things stand prior to the game. Here’s my 53-man roster prediction based on performances throughout training camp and the first three preseason games. Quarterbacks (2)QB Matthew Stafford QB Matt Cassel QB Jake RudockChanges: NoneIt was nice to see Rudock go out there last week against the Buccaneers and lead a game-winning drive, but I already know who Rudock is, and he doesn’t belong on an NFL roster. Even though Matt Patricia talked up his outstanding studying behavior this week, the Lions need someone who can play. Cassel isn’t necessarily the answer, but if there are only two options, he’s the one. Running backs (5)RB Kerryon JohnsonRB Ameer AbdullahRB LeGarrette BlountRB Theo RiddickFB Nick BelloreRB Zach ZennerRB Dwayne WashingtonChanges: NoneNothing has changed my mind about any of these guys. This is the most clear-cut position on the team. Expect to see a lot of Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington Thursday night, as the other five backs will not only make the team, but could all be active on gamedays. Wide receivers (4)WR Marvin Jones Jr.WR Golden TateWR Kenny GolladayWR TJ JonesWR Teo ReddingWR Jace BillingsleyWR Brian BrownWR Chris LacyWR Brandon PowellWR Dontez FordWR Bradley MarquezChanges: NoneBrandon Powell has made a hell of a case to be the team’s fifth receiver, but I’m just not buying it. He’s too limited as a slot receiver only, making him far less valuable than TJ Jones, who could essentially fill in if any of the top three receivers go down. Powell’s return ability is a nice bonus, but the Lions are all set there, too. Ultimately, there’s just no space for Powell on this roster, despite his obvious talent. Cross your fingers and hope that he makes it to the practice squad. If not, the Lions don’t really lose out on anything in 2018.Tight ends (4)TE Michael RobertsTE Luke WillsonTE Levine ToioTE Hakeem VallesTE Marcus LucasTE Sean McGrathChanges: Valles in.I almost did it last time, but there’s no denying Hakeem Valles. Normally, I would downplay preseason performances from third or fourth-string players, but Valles was getting time with the first-team offense last week, and he remained productive. That’s all I needed to see to know this guy is not only making the team, but could be getting some targets once the regular season starts.I’m tempted to give Michael Roberts the boot here, but the Lions just don’t have enough talent at the tight end position to be kicking last year’s fourth-round pick to the curb. Offensive line (9)OT Taylor DeckerOT Rick WagnerOT Corey RobinsonOT Tyrell CrosbyOG T.J. LangG/C Graham GlasgowOG Frank RagnowG/C Leo KoloamatangiG Kenny WigginsOG Joe DahlOT Brian MihalikOT Jamar McGlosterOT Dan SkipperOL John MontelusC Wesley JohnsonChanges: Dahl out.Last prediction I kept 10 offensive linemen, but if this preseason has proven anything, it’s that the Lions’ offensive line depth just doesn’t have enough talent to justify that many roster spots. Joe Dahl is the odd man out after a very up-and-down preseason, while Kenny Wiggins hasn’t exactly been good Womens Ricky Jean Francois Jersey , but he has significant starting experience.The question here is who will be the Lions’ backup center. Frank Ragnow obviously has positional versatility there, but so does Wesley Johnson and Leo Koloamatangi. Johnson seems to have been the first guy in throughout camp, but he’s play has been uninspiring, at best. Koloamatangi, too, has been inconsistent, but give me the guy with a higher upside. Defensive line (8)DE Ezekiel AnsahDE Anthony ZettelDE Kerry HyderDE/DT Da’Shawn HandDT A’Shawn RobinsonDT Ricky Jean FrancoisDT Sylvester WilliamsDT Jeremiah LedbetterDE Alex BarrettDE Jeremiah ValoagaDE Cam JohnsonDT Josh FatuDT Christian RingoChanges: Valoaga out, Barrett outIt’s pretty clear the Lions aren’t exactly happy with this set of players, as evidenced by Robert Ayers’ brief cameo with the team this week. I’m not exactly thrilled with this bunch either, so much like the offensive line, I’m just straight removing some of the depth here. In this case, two players. While that may seem drastic, I may be cutting Alex Barrett, but I’m essentially replacing him with a linebacker who plays the same SAM/left defensive end position as him. Valoaga misses the cut simply because the guy didn’t even play a defensive snap last week. He’s clearly behind the eight ball right now.Linebackers (8)LB Devon KennardLB Jarrad DavisLB Jalen Reeves-MaybinLB Christian JonesLB Jonathan FreenyLB Eli Harold LB Miles KillebrewLB Trevor BatesLB Freddie BishopLB Chad MeredithLB Darnell SankeyLB Steve Longa (IR)Changes: Longa out (IR), Harold in, Killebrew in, Bates inAdding two more linebackers seems drastic, but eight overall linebackers is really not all that much for a team that is going to show a lot of 3-4 looks. And it makes logical sense when you think about who the additions are. Eli Harold is essentially taking Alex Barrett’s spot. Miles Killebrew is simply adding some coverage skills to the group, and Trevor Bates is replacing Longa’s special teams ability. I chose Bates simply because he is regularly getting more preseason playing time both on defense (58 snaps) and special teams (31 snaps) than guys like Freddie Bishop (49, 26) and Chad Meredith (only one game played). It doesn’t hurt that he was formerly with the Patriots, too. Defensive backs (10)CB Darius SlayCB Nevin LawsonCB Teez TaborCB DeShawn SheadCB Quandre DiggsCB Jamal AgnewS Glover QuinS Tavon WilsonS Charles WashingtonS Tracy WalkerCB Mike FordCB Chris JonesCB Antwuan DavisS Rolan MilliganChanges: NoneThe only thing I considered changing was putting Rolan Milligan over Charles Washington, simply because Milligan is getting a lot more playing time in the preseason. However, Milligan’s play has been rough, so I can’t justify that decision. Special Teams (3)K Matt PraterP Sam MartinLS Don MuhlbachP/K Ryan SantosoChanges: NoneI’d write something witty about Don Muhlbach, but that’s Kent’s shtick.All eyes on Lions G Kenny Wiggins as T.J. Lang continues to sit Detroit Lions starting right guard T.J. Lang missed his third consecutive practice on Friday http://www.thelionsfootballauthentic.com/nevin-lawson-jersey-authentic , signaling that he’s unlikely to play this week against the San Francisco 49ers thanks to a back injury that caused him to miss the final play of Week 1.Last year, the Lions had to deal with a massive amount of injuries along the offensive line and it showed. Detroit had one of the worst running games in the league and Matthew Stafford dealt with pressure on a weekly basis. So this year general manager Bob Quinn went to work on his offensive line depth. While his moves were headline by drafting Frank Ragnow in the first round, he also added offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby in the fifth round of the draft and veteran free agents Kenny Wiggins and Wesley Johnson to help round out the depth in case of injury. While Johnson didn’t stick around after roster cuts, Wiggins did, and it may already be time for him to show why the Lions are more confident in their offensive line depth this year.Wiggins came from the Los Angeles Chargers, where started 25 games in five years, including all 16 last season. Jeff Davidson, the Lions’ new offensive line coach, spent a year working with him back in 2016. But for head coach Matt Patricia, it was an easy choice to add Wiggins in free agency.“We liked everything as far as what he brought to the table as a player, as a teammate, as a professional,” Patricia said on Friday. “(He’s a) guy that’s really just fought and battled his entire career and has always come out on top. And you love those guys, you love those guys that continue to work hard like that to go out and perform.”And throughout camp Wiggins’ versatility had already been proven useful. Before the season even started, the Lions dealt with injuries to Lang and to starting center Graham Glasgow, and Wiggins filled in wherever the Lions needed him. “I thought he’s done a great job being very multiple, which is another big thing for offensive linemen,” Patricia said. “You’re only allowed to have so many, and then active for the game you’re only really carrying so many offensive linemen. So the overlap of position coverage has to be at a high value and he’s one of those guys that’s able to do that. He can really flip both sides of the line of scrimmage. About the only thing I don’t have him doing right now is snapping.”But training camp is one thing, the regular season is another. If Lang can’t go and Wiggins is the Lions’ replacement, the former Charger has quite the task in front of him. The 49ers boast an impressive defensive front—led by defensive tackle DeForest Buckner—that can easily disrupt Detroit’s chemistry on the offensive line.“It should be a huge challenge for us up front,” Patricia admitted earlier in the week. “They really have great players here on either side ball and certainly their defensive line with the scheme that Coach (Robert) Saleh is implementing there. It’s a very aggressive attacking front that they play. And I think these guys are doing a good job adapting to that and really performing at a high level.”Wiggins wasn’t all that impressive in the preseason, and the 49ers likely know that. So can the man who has fought and battled against the odds his entire career come out on top again Sunday? We’ll see.