The Detroit Lions will open training camp this month as one of the Super Bowl favorites, and it’s no surprise given the strength of their roster.

Under general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have assembled one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the NFL. They have blue-chip players at key positions, a rising cast of young stars and enough in reserve in most areas to survive the inevitable injury woes that are inherent to the sport.

Their roster is not perfect. They could use more depth at receiver, their offensive line is aging and they need a pass rusher to emerge opposite Aidan Hutchinson.

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But top to bottom, this is the best Lions roster I’ve seen since I started on the beat for the Free Press in 2010. That’ll make for some tough roster cuts at the end of camp, and some good competition for the back-end jobs.

NFL teams have until late August to set their initial 53-man rosters. This is bound to change over the next few weeks, but here’s my first guess at how the Lions handle their business heading into the season.

Quarterback (2)

In: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker.

The buzz: If something happens to Goff, Nate Sudfeld would be the Lions’ No. 2 quarterback right now, given how far Hooker is away from contributing. But Sudfeld is a guy the Lions can keep on practice squad and elevate if needed during the season. With good roster depth elsewhere, keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster doesn’t seem like the best use of resources.

Running back (4)

In: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sione Vaki, Craig Reynolds.

The buzz: Gibbs and Montgomery give the Lions one of the best backfields in the NFL — they narrowly missed each rushing for 1,000 yards last season — and while Vaki should have a gameday role based on his special teams ability, the Lions need to keep a fourth back with a more refined rushing palette, in case of emergency. I’ll give Reynolds the edge over Bam Knight based on experience, but Knight will be one to watch in his return from injury.

Wide receiver (5)

In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Antoine Green.

The buzz: This position group is wide open after St. Brown, Williams and Raymond. I thought Daurice Fountain showed more than either Peoples-Jones or Green during spring practices, but I also don’t read too much into spring practices. Fountain and several others have a chance to win a job this summer, and the Lions have shown a willingness to part with underperforming veteran receivers in the past (see Breshad Perriman), if Peoples-Jones stays MIA in training camp.

Tight end (3)

In: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, James Mitchell.

The buzz: Mitchell will have to beat out Shane Zylstra, Sean McKeon and Parker Hesse for the third tight end spot, and it might depend on what the Lions are looking for in the role. I’m guessing they want more of a blocker there, since they don’t have a true fullback on the roster.

Offensive line (9)

In: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler, Penei Sewell, Dan Skipper, Colby Sorsdal, Gio Manu, Christian Mahogany.

The buzz: The Lions have three young draft picks in backup roles in Sorsdal, Manu and Mahogany. Sorsdal’s positional flexibility as a guard and tackle means there’s no rush to get Manu ready, but the Lions have a decision to make at the backup guard spot(s) between Mahogany, Kayode Awosika and Netane Muti. Awosika started four games last year, including the playoffs, but the Lions love their draft picks and they’d have to go shorthanded at another position — running back? — if they’re going to keep 10 linemen.

Defensive line/EDGE(11)

In: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Alim McNeill, D.J. Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin, Mekhi Wingo, Josh Paschal, John Cominsky, Mitchell Agude, James Houston.

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The buzz: Reader is expected to miss the start of training camp, but there are no indications that his absence will last into the season. Martin makes the roster as a backup nose tackle, and I have the Lions keeping four backup edge rushers with Agude and Houston both making the cut at the outside linebacker position. Agude impressed on practice squad last year, blossomed this spring and is only in his second NFL season. If he looks as good in camp as he did this spring, he’ll be ahead of both Houston and Mathieu Betts on the depth chart.

Off-ball linebacker (5)

In: Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

The buzz: This position seems cut and dry, barring an injury. The Lions could elect to keep a sixth off-ball linebacker such as Ben Niemann for special teams purposes, but Niemann signed late in spring so I’m leaving him off the roster for now at the expense of more depth at the more valuable positions up front.

Defensive back (11)

In: Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw, Amik Robertson, Kindle Vildor, Emmanuel Moseley, Khalil Dorsey, Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu, C.J. Moore.

The buzz: This was the toughest position group to sort through, as a number of back-end roster types have special teams or developmental value. The Lions will give Branch a chance to win one of the starting safety spots this summer, so I gave Moore the No. 4 safety job over Brandon Joseph because of his special teams ability, though Moore needs to prove he hasn’t lost a step after serving a yearlong suspension. At the cornerback spot, the Lions don’t need to rush Moseley back on the field, and they could gain a roster spot by starting him on the physically unable to perform list for a second straight season. If that doesn’t happen, I have Dorsey edging out Steven Gilmore for a roster spot, again because of his special teams ability.

Special teams (3)

In: Jack Fox, Michael Badgley, Scott Daly.

The buzz: Jake Bates could beat out Badgley for the kicking job, but Bates missed some kicks late in the Michigan Panthers' season and will have to prove he’s reliable on kicks from 45 yards and in before the Lions make any change.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction: Backup QB — Hooker or Sudfeld?