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Detroit Lions: Should Joe Fauria be Worried?

By Mark DeGain

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Earlier today, the Detroit Lions traded kicker Kyle Brindza to Tampa Bay for TE Tim Wright.


Personally, I feel this was a great move. The rookie out of Notre Dame definitely has a leg, but there is no room on the roster for 2 kickers. Especially with a seasoned veteran like Matt Prater.

Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Timothy Wright (81) scores a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Wright brings with him a couple of years of experience as a proven pass-catching tight end who could be very useful to the Detroit Lions squad. Last season he had 26 receptions for 259 yards and 6 touchdowns for the New England Patriots. He measures in at 6-foot-4 and weighs 220-pounds and is entering his 3rd season as a player in the NFL.

Prior to his time in New England, he spent his rookie season playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he had 54 receptions for 571 yards and 5 touchdowns.

So, the main question, should Joseph Fauria be worried? My answer is simply, yes.

Fauria missed a large portion of the 2014 season with an ankle sprain from a non-football related injury. When he came back ready for offseason workouts, he didn’t look like the Fauria of the past. I try my best not to get down too much on the players, but let’s face it, he is not a very good route runner. He is a red-zone threat because of his size and that’s about it.

And then to top it off, he left the practice field earlier in August with an unknown injury. Is that injury still plaguing him? I am unsure and unable to find much more information about it, but this trade is telling me that it just might be.

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While he has been coming along in his blocking skills, it takes more than blocking and red-zone action to stay on a team with other all-purpose tight ends on the team like Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron, who is looking to have a breakout season.

The bottom line here is, if we can bring in another young player with some proven stats under his belt, who is more of a complete TE, it makes more sense to keep him around than to keep worrying if Fauria will be able to play due to injury and having him pretty much in for red-zone plays.

Also at SLR: Detroit Lions Release WR Ryan Broyles

We will see how this plays out, but what I suspect is that Fauria will make the 75 man roster, and you will see both Wright and Fauria getting some good playing time in Thursday night’s final preseason game at home against the Buffalo Bills. Then I feel the coaching staff will have a good grasp and see where to go from there.

May 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Joseph Fauria (80) during OTA at Detroit Lions Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

If indeed Fauria does get cut, I wouldn’t expect him to have a hard time finding work. He is a very charismatic guy and definitely does have some football skills. And, if it isn’t a cut, then maybe the front office can work out a trade to a team who is in need of some red-zone threats like perhaps the New Orleans Saints.

Again, this is just all my perspective on the whole situation, but for what it’s worth, I feel like this is a good move all the way around no matter how it works out.

Mark DeGain is a columnist for SideLionReport.com of the FanSided Network. For further Detroit Lions news, rumors and analysis, be sure to follow him on twitter at @SLR_Mark!

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