Detroit Lions’ initial 53-man roster ranked among oldest in the NFL
The Detroit Lions still have some work to do with their 53-man roster following cutdown day, but we do know about how old the team is.
According to the Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski, the average age of the 50 players on the Lions’ initial roster is 26.60 years, which ranks as the fourth-oldest in the NFL and the third-oldest in the NFC.
Only the Washington Commanders (28.09), Pittsburgh Steelers (27.28) and Atlanta Falcons (26.71) are older.
Bear in mind, the Lions still have four open roster spots and will be making more moves before the start of the season, so this age isn’t set it stone. That said, it isn’t likely to change all that much.
The Lions have actually seen a significant increase in the average age of their initial 53-man roster between last year and this year. In 2024, the Lions’ average age on the initial 53-man roster was 25.73 years, which ranked as the ninth-youngest.
Detroit’s NFC North foe, the Green Bay Packers, sport the youngest team in the NFL at 25.23 years. The Bears sport the second-youngest team in the division (26.23), followed by the Minnesota Vikings (26.40).
Part of the reason the Lions have gotten older is because the team is finding it tough to keep younger developmental players these days because of how much talent is on the roster, something general manager Brad Holmes has admitted.
”What’s gotten really hard — and it’s really been visible this year — is that in the past, especially in our first couple years, we had a lot of just young, developmental players that we really liked and we had a lot of room for,” Holmes said. “And as the guys have made these leaps and bounds and the talent has gotten better, it’s hard to always find room for those young, developmental guys.”
The youngest players on Detroit’s initial 53-man roster are cornerback Terrion Arnold, wide receiver Dominic Lovett, defensive linemen Tyleik Williams and Mekhi Wingo, all of whom are 22 years old.
Center Graham Glasgow holds the title of the team’s oldest player at 33 years old.
Following cutdown day, the Lions will turn their attention to waivers on Wednesday and will then put together their practice squad after that.
MORE DETROIT LIONS NEWS
What Tim Patrick trade means for Isaac TeSlaa’s stock with Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions’ updated list of 2026 draft picks after Tim Patrick trade
Why did Lions waive Ahmed Hassanein with an injury settlement?
NFL insider offers latest update on former Lions EDGE Za’Darius Smith’s status
