The Detroit Lions roster need to be reduced from the current 90-man limit down to 75 before 4 PM Tuesday.
Rather than taking a seat at the parlor game that is projecting the cuts, I’ve opted to deal from a different deck. Here are the players I would cut to get down to the 75-man limit, in order of ease of decision.
Devon Bell. He’s always been a camp leg, nothing more. The fact he can both punt and kick saved a roster spot throughout training camp. This FG could very well be his Lions legacy…
Corey Fuller. The wideout remains on the active/PUP list. Even when he gets healthy enough to don the pads, Fuller has no real role on this team. He’s a raw receiver with iffy hands who hasn’t been able to practice or get better at his deficiencies for months. Time to move on…
Adam Fuehne. He’s a reserve tight end. Really. I understand your confusion as I’ve never actually seen him on the field either.
Deonte Gibson. 80s teen pop icon and apple of my eye circa 1988 Debbie Gibson has a better chance of singing the national anthem at the home opener than the deep reserve DE has of making the Detroit Lions.
Quanterus Smith. I loved it when the Lions signed the pass rusher, but it just hasn’t worked out.
Louis Palmer. The undrafted rookie defensive end from Central Michigan did little to make an impression.
Dominique Tovell. This is already Tovell’s third NFL team since April. Where does the lightweight linebacker from Louisiana Tech wind up next?
Zaviar Gooden. Heck, I would have just left the backup linebacker in Baltimore. Other than one swift read on a bubble screen, Gooden was consistently late to react and too easily blocked.
Luke Marquardt
Aside from outstanding hair, the tall offensive tackle offers nothing of value to the Lions. He’s one of those small-school projects so many fall in love with in the draft process who never takes the proverbial next step and fades into oblivion. At least he’ll look awesome getting there.
Luke Marquardt rocking the Patrick Swayze Point Break hairstyle. I'm insanely jealous pic.twitter.com/wggOkFOvgC
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) August 6, 2016
Lemuel Jeanpierre. A Lion for less than a week, it’s tough to build a case for a journeyman castoff without seeing him play. No hard feelings.
Brandon Magee. See Jeanpierre above.
Charles Washington. The reserve safety has some practice squad potential, playing well on special teams. Size (he’s 5’10”/185) is his biggest obstacle.
Adairius Barnes. The skinny undrafted cornerback from Louisiana Tech has shown enough to make the practice squad, where he must work on his tackling.
George Winn. I’ve championed the backup RB and Detroit native in the past, but his special teams prowess isn’t as necessary on this year’s Lions. He showed nothing as an actual runner in preseason.
Quinshad Davis. I like Davis, a big and physical wideout undrafted out of North Carolina. But he doesn’t fit in with Detroit’s roster needs right now. Hopefully he signs on the practice squad, though I suspect he’ll be in another uniform this fall.
Again, this is not an attempt to predict who gets cut. Even so, bet on at least half the names here being the same that hit the waiver wire on Tuesday afternoon.