When it comes down to it, the proverbial 53rd man on an NFL team's 53-man roster might be pretty inconsequential, and possibly a regular inactive on game days.
But as the Detroit Lions have done some early-season roster maneuvering, around placing players on IR (Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes, Ifeatu Melifonwu) and adding people to the active roster (Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson), it's landed as notable that they've been carrying 52 players on the 53-man roster for a couple weeks.
Campbell was asked about that open spot on the 53-man roster before Friday's practice.
"It gives us options. I don’t want to say that we’ll necessarily use that or we’re in a hurry to fill that,” Campbell said. “It really has just kind of given us a bit of flexibility right now. It does give us options, but I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily in a hurry to fill that with maybe one of those guys or somebody else right now.”
Dan Campbell likes keeping an open spot on 53-man roster right now
Each practice squad player can be elevated to the game day roster three times before they have to signed to the active roster. By keeping a 53-man roster spot open, particularly while they sort out who might emerge to fill the voids left by Davenport and Barnes in the edge rusher and SAM linebacker mixes (Isaac Ukwu, Mitchell Agude, newly signed Cam Gill and Al-Quadin Muhammad, etc.), the Lions can essentially elevate three players from the practice squad in a given week if they want to.
Practice squad elevations (before that limit of three elevations) revert back to the practice squad after the game, and thus avoid being subject to the waiver wire. Campbell was asked if Ukwu and Agude could get a practice squad call-up, or eventually be signed to the 53-man roster.
"I think both of them (have progressed) very nicely, I think both of those guys because they’ve been here the longest,” Campbell said. “Talk about these D-ends, edge guys, and both of those guys have done a really good job for us and honestly, I would have no problem playing either one of those guys if we need them.”
It would not be a surprise to see one or both of Ukwu or Agude elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game against the Cowboys around 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Of course that open roster spot would also accommodate a potential trade acquisition or signing, if the Lions want to go those directions. But for now, and for another week anyway, the flexibility of having an open roster spot is not a bad thing.
