7 former Detroit Lions in Super Bowl 2023

Jan 30, 2023 - 2:00 PM

Super Bowl LVII is set with the Kansas City Chiefs set to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a fairly uncommon instance in which both No. 1 seeds have made it to the championship.

Though we now have to wait two weeks until the teams face off for the Lombardi Trophy, let’s take a quick look at their rosters to see if there are any familiar faces we on Super Bowl Sunday.

In total, there are seven former Detroit Lions players who are on the rosters of the Eagles or Chiefs. Here’s a closer look at them:

Eagles

CB Darius Slay: Detroit’s former second-round pick will make his first-ever Super Bowl appearance this year. Slay played for seven years with the Lions—making three Pro Bowls over that time—before his time came to an ugly end in Detroit. After butting heads with then-coach Matt Patricia, he was traded in the offseason for just a third and fifth-round pick. He’s been with Philly since and was even named captain this year for the first time in his career.

DT Ndamukong Suh: Detroit’s second overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Suh would only spend the first five years of his career with the Lions. Detroit failed to lock him up in free agency, as Suh went to Miami for a lucrative deal. Suh has since jumped to the Rams and Buccaneers, getting himself a ring with Tom Brady in 2021. He joined the Eagles this year in mid-October and has played around 20 snaps per game since.

P Arryn Siposs (currently on IR): Siposs never played a regular season game for the Lions, but spent the 2020 season on and off the team’s practice squad. After the season, he signed with the Eagles and was their punter for the entire 2021 season. He was again Philly’s punter this year, but he suffered a leg injury trying to return a blocked punt in early December. He’s expressed optimism about returning before the season is over, but it would be a surprise to see him play when veteran punter Brett Kern has been fine.

CB Andre Chachere (currently on practice squad): Chachere also never played a down for the Lions but was added late in the 2018 season as injury-related depth and was with the Lions for all of 2019 training camp. After getting cut, he bounced around to the Cardinals, Panthers, and Colts before finally landing with the Eagles last year. He played some defense for them in a pinch in 2021, but has solely been a special teamer for the Eagles this year and hasn’t seen the field since Week 13.

Chiefs

FB Michael Burton: The Lions drafted Burton in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Through two seasons, he was an effective and efficient blocker. However, the Lions essentially stopped using a fullback at the end of the 2016 season and he was waived in the spring of 2017. He spent a couple years with the Bears and had short stops in Washington and New Orleans, but he has been a key part of the Chiefs' special teams in the past two seasons while getting a handful of snaps per game at fullback.

DT Danny Shelton (currently on practice squad): Shelton spent one season in Detroit after signing a two-year deal in 2020. After Detroit’s defense struggled that year and the Lions fired Matt Patricia and company, Shelton was released by the Lions’ new regime in 2021. Shelton has been on the practice squad all season for the Chiefs and was only elevated to play in a single game. Don’t expect him to play in the Super Bowl.

K Matthew Wright: Wright was one of the many kickers to have come and gone to Detroit over the past two seasons. He was signed in 2021, but after a lot of struggles in camp, he was cut before the team’s first preseason game. He went on to have a decent season with the Jaguars, before they surprisingly cut him after the 2022 draft. Wright has only been with the Chiefs since Week 18, when they signed him after there were some questions about whether starter Harrison Butker would play due to back spasms. Wright was active for the game, but the Chiefs didn’t end up needing him. Butker has played in every game since, so don’t expect Wright to play.