The Detroit Lions continue to reduce their roster count ahead of Tuesday’s (August 30) 4 pm ET deadline. The cut-down process began earlier on Monday, when it was reported that the Lions were planning on releasing tight end Devin Funchess and waiving rookie wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton, and now a few more names have been added to the list.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the team has released linebacker Jarrad Davis. Davis was originally drafted by the Lions in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, but after four years with the organization, he left for the New York Jets in 2021. After a year away, Davis returned to Detroit this offseason with the hopes of finding a new role with the new coaching staff.
Davis still held his role as a stack linebacker, but the struggles that had plagued his career remained. He did find success as a situational edge rusher in subpackage sets, but even in that limited role he faced competition (Anthony Pittman) and wasn’t repping with a top unit. Davis is a relentless worker and if he doesn’t find a job with another NFL team, don’t be surprised if he ends up back in Detroit on the practice squad.
Additionally, Freep’s Dave Birkett is reporting that the team has released offensive tackle, Kendall Lamm. While Lamm has seen a larger role in his previous stops in the NFL, he was relegated to third-string offensive tackle in Detroit. He looked much better on the right side than on the left with the Lions, but he has enough experience that he could get another shot with a tackle-needy team.
The Lions did not officially make any roster moves on Monday, but if these reports are accurate, the Lions roster now sits at 76 players.