The Lions make BIG moves....These could have MAJOR implications

Well, as we all know by now the 53-man roster cut down deadline has come and gone in the NFL Sunday at 6 o'clock Eastern Time to be exact and the Lions They've got their 53-man roster set as well there was a couple of surprises that cut down day for the Lions on the Offensive and the defensive side of the ball and the one on the offensive side of the ball has left a big hole Which could have some massive implications for the Lions on special teams Now we're going to dive into that and what those implications could be and what's next for the Lions on Special teams on this edition of Lions digest. Hey everybody yours truly captain Lou here I want to take a moment as we always do to welcome everybody in who's watching us for the first time here on Lions digest And we invite all of you hit that subscribe button it's free the response so far the viewership has been off the charts and It's just proving that we are one of the most passionate fan bases in all of professional sports Not just in the NFL. So again hit that subscribe button and welcome to the Lions digest discussion. All right, Brad Holmes in Dan Campbell and company They've got the 53-man roster set and with that as we mentioned a couple of big Surprises the one on the offensive side of the ball has really kind of took a chunk out of special teams at least the original Plans that were thought of in the offseason now Greg Dorch He was signed in the offseason for the Lions to be the kick and punt returner the number one option for the Lions Well, he was part of the 53-man cut down on Sunday and that leaves a huge hole. What's next for the Lions as the punt and kick returners go They can they're not going to go after Jameson Williams to do it are they I'm on Ross st. Brown I know they've got speed but that's the last thing in the world We want the Lions to do as far as special teams as the kick and punt return Well, let's take a look at Greg Dorch with his career stats now again he was called in to be that guy and also was taking reps in the preseason as the number three and number four wideout with Isaac Tesla now with the emergence of Jackson Meeks That according to Brad Holmes or at least that's his thought process from outside. That's what it looks like to me That's why he said that Dorch was expendable. Let's take a look at his career stats in six years He had 75 kickoff returns for the Arizona Cardinals averaged 23.6 yards for return now for a punt return average He did just under a hundred and his average was nine. So those were good numbers for the kick and punt return So we'll have to wait and see what the Lions do but with that being said that's still not going to deter me as the Lions still as the Favorite to win the NFC North in 2026 and that's why I'm gonna roll with our brand new partner Here on Lions Digest and that's Cal sheet now Remember with Cal sheet you're trading directly against other users not the traditional sports book You're gonna trade with your peers you're buying yes or no contracts on outcomes of events like sporting events Politics the weather you name it and that's why I'm gonna trade on the Lions I'm gonna trade yes for them to win the NFC North now as you see right here You can tell by the trend the Lions have been trading right around 30 to 35 percent That means 35 percent of the folks on Cal sheet that are trading are saying yes They're gonna win the NFC North. So with that with that being said a $25 trade for yes means that you'll get a return at the end of the year of $68 and 30 cents. Why did I pick 25 you ask? Well, if you're interested in trying out calcium use the link in the comment section and the promo code Digest NFL and you will get $25 into your account Instantly that's by using calcium The NFL starts back up in a couple of weeks and all the NFL games are gonna trade on calcium All right. Let's get back to what Brad Holmes is going to do now for the Lions on special teams What's going to be his option for that kick returner or punt returner for the Lions? Well, I think I've got an idea who he might use as a kickoff returner for the lines It could very well be Jacob Saylor Saylor's of course had a magnificent run this preseason as Really the go-to back for the Lions fought himself was on his way to the roster They're carrying five running backs right now. The Lions are he had a hundred and ninety yards on the ground for the Lions Well, if you remember last year He was he took over kickoff return duties for the Lions towards the end of the year get 33 returns 27.2 yards for return for the Lions So that's my guess what the Lions are going to do as the number one kickoff returner now with the punt returns That's where I'm a little bit That's up in the air Now I know Brad Holmes has said in the past They want someone with a little more beef someone a little bit bigger because you take more contact as a punt return Well, that would rule out Jameson Williams and I'm on Ross ain't Brown if they do that I'm gonna get in my car go down there and have a little come to Jesus meeting with Brad Holmes Why would you use those two guys now? This is where I think she owned Bakke might step in for the Lions to be that punt returner He's a little bit bigger than sailors. I think he could be the option for the Lions now another one That they seem to have a guy with nine lives It seems like for the Lions all the time and that's Tom Kennedy right now Kennedy is on the practice squad, but We all know what happens. There's injuries, whatever Something tells me Kennedy will be called back on to the main roster at some point during the regular season Week two or week three or whatever and he could be added to be that punt return guy He could even edge out sailors to be the kick return guy do they need sailors because as we mentioned yesterday He still has a shot to be the new knuckles For the Lions with the Isaiah Pacheco and his injury concerns So we'll keep an eye on that now sticking with the team real quick with the special teams How concerned are you with Jake Bates right now as the kicker for the Detroit Lions? We saw what he did in that preseason finale against against the Indianapolis Colts one out of three for extra points and you know, he's Coming up. I would say a substandard year by NFL standards as far as kicking for the Lions now He made an adjustment in the offseason as far as what his kicking routine is when he goes to kick the ball He went from four to three steps So I in again if he's he looks like he struggled in the preseason there's no getting around it Let's take a look at his stats from last year in 2025 he was 27 out of 34 Seventy nine point four percent now the top kickers are kicking obviously around eighty nine percent still not bad numbers But here's what I'm concerned about now again, the Lions like to go for it a lot on fourth down I get it, but his numbers from 40 plus he was 13 out of 20 last year From 50 plus he was four out of nine So I'm concerned hopefully that changes once the bright light to the regular season come on for the Lions Jake Bates will be back to form the form that he had a couple of years ago extra points last year 54 out of 56, so I guess not too bad considering what the new rules are Of course with the NFL from kicking from the 33-yard line now as far as the other end of the special teams No worries at all. We've got one of the best punters in all of professional football That's Jack Fox and Hogan Hatton is ninth year now as the long snapper really not worried about that at all All right. Well, that's going to do it for this edition of Lions Digest again We want to welcome our brand new partner Cal she as well and again a reminder that if you get a chance hit that Subscribe button, it's free Let's have you we'd love to have you as part of the Lions Digest discussion And again show why we are one of the most passionate fan bases in all of professional sport All right, that's going to do it for this time until we see you again captain Lou a reminder Keep your heads up. Keep your sticks down. Keep your feet moving and as always keep your minds open so long