Lions Set Their 53: Dobbs Wins the Backup Job, Branch and Joseph Land on PUP

The initial 53-man roster is in, and our Lions made the hard calls that always come with the last week of August. Josh Dobbs took control of the backup quarterback battle in the preseason win over the Colts, and with Luke Altmyer cut, the door swung open for Dobbs to be the guy behind center when we need him. The news that stings: Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph both land on reserve/PUP with injuries, meaning we're set to miss both for the opening four games. That's a real chunk of our secondary sidelined to start, and Cade Mays begins the year on IR too. Dan Campbell, for his part, isn't worried about kicker Jake Bates after those missed PATs — "He'll be fine." There were feel-good stories in the mix as well: Jackson Meeks made the roster after switching from receiver to tight end, and Jacob Saylors is comfortably slotted as Jahmyr Gibbs' backup!