The Lions and the rest of the NFL must have their initial 53-man roster set by 4 p.m. Tuesday. There are not as many roster bubble battles as we’ve seen in previous years. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t tough decisions to make, and some roster maneuvering to accomplish.

Following the Lions preseason finale, a largely lifeless loss to the Houston Texans, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell stated that most of the roster decisions for Tuesday's cutdown from 90 to 53 players were already made. For those of us who are at practices and watch the team on a daily basis, most of those decisions are pretty obvious, too.

Detroit's defense is anchored by a back end that is going to make life difficult for opposing offenses. Brian Branch had a solid camp and Kerby Joseph is working his way back from knee irritation. Both should be in the conversation for All-Pro and Pro Bowl-caliber seasons.