Detroit Lions: Revisiting the 2018 draft class three years later
Nick Bawden
Position: Fullback
Selection: Round 7 / 237th overall
Career Stats: 10 games, 4 receptions, 17 yards, 0 touchdowns
Contract Status: Signed through 2021
Bawden’s selection late on Day 3 was yet another element in the Lions’ push towards awakening their dormant running game. It’s debatable how much fullbacks really help running games, but they took the former USC Trojan as a complement to their new tailback taken in Round 2.
It hasn’t gone well for Bawden in Detroit. He missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL before he finally got on the field in 2019. He was a regular member of the special teams unit but played just 124 offensive snaps. He did not move the needle much in the passing game, catching just four balls, though he did help the Lions claw their way to 21st in total rushing yardage, their highest finish in that category since 2013.
Unfortunately, another knee injury ended his season after 10 games, and Bawden would not be ready to start the next season. Unable to rely on him, the Lions promoted converted linebacker Jason Cabinda to step in prior to the 2020 season. Cabinda, who had previously been a member of the Lions’ practice squad, didn’t do anything special last season in a limited role, but he did appear in all 16 games.
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Cabinda was re-signed to a one-year deal in April, likely signaling the end of Bawden’s injury-marred tenure with the Lions. According to spotrac.com, Bawden would cost the Lions just $21,051 in dead money should they decide to move on. That seems almost inevitable at this point, but such is life in the NFL for an injury-plagued former seventh-round draft pick who plays a low-value position.