Detroit Lions throw in the towel on Teez Tabor after two seasons

The Detroit Lions are reportedly going to cut former 2017 second-round selection, cornerback Teez Tabor, after two seasons of lackluster play.

When the Detroit Lions drafted Florida cornerback Teez Tabor in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 53rd overall, second-year general manager Bob Quinn thought he was catching a falling star. Instead, Quinn ended up selecting his biggest draft mistake so far.

Tabor had once been projected to be a first-round level talent. But disastrous forty-times at both the NFL Scouting Combine (4.62) and Florida’s pro day (4.75) caused his draft stock to plummet.

Still, Tabor did record seven interceptions and 20 pass defends during his final two years with the Gators. Despite his lack of speed, he was still able to be an effective defensive back. That was clearly the hope of Quinn and company when they drafted Tabor so highly just over two years ago.

The Lions opted to bring Tabor along slowly that first year, making him a healthy scratch through the first five weeks of his rookie season. Through Week 12, Teez played a total of 58 defensive snaps. In the team’s final four games of 2017, that number jumped to 132 total defensive snaps. Tabor would end his rookie season recording 12 combined tackles, with no interceptions or pass defends.

The following year, the Lions would hire former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as the head coach. As for Tabor, the new coaching regime in Detroit opted to only use him sporadically. He would end up playing in 12 games in 2018, starting in four of them. He ended his second season in Detroit posting 28 total tackles. But again, he failed to record a single pass defend or interception.

This offseason, there seemed to be a building optimism that Tabor’s play had improved with positive reports emerging during OTAs as he started in place of a missing Darius Slay. But an injury sidelined Teez for three weeks during the preseason and put his status with the team in question. Now, we have an answer.

First reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Detroit Lions intend to cut Teez Tabor in order to help them reach the league required 53-man roster by Saturday afternoon. The move seems to confirm that free-agent signee Rashaan Melvin is cemented as the new starter outside corner opposite Slay, a spot Tabor was thought to be in consideration for at one point. The move likely also opens up a roster spot for fringe players like corners Dee Virgin or Mike Ford to possibly make the final-53 in Detroit.