3 Lions who earned a roster spot in final preseason game, 1 who should be cut
The Lions can feel more confident about keeping these three players safe from roster cuts after their performance against the Panthers in the preseason finale.
The Detroit Lions walked away from Friday's preseason matchup with a 26-17 victory and plenty of decisions to make ahead of the 53-man roster cut date.
Detroit has until 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday to figure out who they will be holding on to and who they will be letting go. The good news for several Lions hopefuls is that they gave Dan Campbell and company every possible argument to keep them.
Let's take a look at three players who earned their roster spot on Friday night and one who missed their moment.
Lions 53-man roster spot secured: RB Craig Reynolds
Justin Jackson came into training camp as the clear No. 3 running back but his surprise retirement opened the door for someone like Craig Reynolds to step into that role instead.
Reynolds was the guy on Friday against the Panthers with 11 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. He opened the scoring for Detroit from five yards out in the second quarter.
The fact that Jermar Jefferson didn't play bodes even better for Reynolds getting the nod as the third running back behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.