The end of a 90-man NFL roster during training camp and the preseason is a place of constant shuffling. On Wednesday, before the second joint practice against the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions signed running back Devine Ozigbo and waived wide receiver Avery Davis.
Davis was just added to the mix last weekend.
Ozigbo went undrafted out of Nebraska, where he topped 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns in in his final season, in 2019. He has spent time with the New Orleans Saints (twice), Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos thus far in his career. He was a late preseason cut by the Saints in 2019, when Lions head coach Dan Campbell was the tight ends coach there, so there's a tie there. He then spent two-plus seasons with the Jaguars, played two games in a second stint with the Saints late in 2021 and played in four games for the Broncos last season.
Ozigbo has played in a total of 25 NFL regular season games, with 14 carries and 14 receptions.
Detroit Lions add Devine Ozigbo to preseason running back mix
The Lions have a deep group of running backs, led by David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Craig Reynolds, Justin Jackson, Mohamed Ibrahim and Jermar Jefferson are competing for roster spots, with Jackson looking likely to wind up as the No. 3 back and kickoff returner. Ozigbo has a real uphill battle to stick around into the season, though he could wind up back on the practice squad.
That said, Ozigbo may get some immediate run in Friday night's preseason opener against the Giants. He can at least put something on tape in Lions' preseason games, however many he's around for, for other teams to see when (ok, if) he becomes available. A camp/preseason body for the Lions, barring something unforeseen, has an opportunity to somewhat showcase himself now.