Detroit Lions relatively quiet through the cutdown craziness

Every team in the NFL made cuts to get down to 53 players on their roster. The Detroit Lions made minimal moves while shaping their roster.

The Detroit Lions made the necessary cuts to get down to the 53-man roster limits over the long holiday weekend. While other teams went crazy with trades and waiver acquisitions at the deadline, the Lions remained somewhat quiet. But that doesn’t mean the team isn’t trying to create the best roster for the season.

Before cuts were made, the Lions traded with the Cleveland Browns for presumed third-string quarterback David Blough. Then, during cuts, they surprisingly let go of tight end Logan Thomas. This move was really just a workaround to claim running back J.D. McKissic. Once the team could put rookie defensive end Austin Bryant on Injured Reserve they immediately signed Thomas back to the active roster.

McKissic is now reunited with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. During the 2017 season, Bevell helped McKissic to his most productive year in the league. Whether he is a running back or a wide receiver was debated while he played for the Seattle Seahawks. In Detroit, he’s listed as the former…for now.

What that means is McKissic is a versatile player that can help the Lions with whatever they need on a week to week basis. He’s a solid depth acquisition at a position that was lacking available players at the end of last season.

That sums up the Lions activity and roster shuffling to this point. A couple of quick paragraphs with one minor trade, one acquisition and a do-si-do move to put a player on IR with a designation to return. The trade might not even have been necessary considering the multiple quarterbacks that were released with potential to sign without including the draft.

It leaves me wondering what secondary moves general manager Bob Quinn has up his sleeves after this initial action following roster cuts. I’m not expecting a blockbuster trade or franchise-altering acquisition – the majority of those players that were cut were aging cap casualties or not talented enough to grab roster spots on their own teams.

But this is where depth can be made. If there are players out there better than the 50th-53rd player on the Lions roster, Quinn has to be considering making the switch.

Another thing to note: The Lions had to cut a couple of seventh-round draft picks. Either they were swings and misses on draft day or, more likely, they weren’t able to make the roster due to the existing talent. This means Quinn is adding enough talent to the roster that not even draft picks are guaranteed to make the team. And that’s a good sign for the future.