This offseason, the Detroit Lions parted ways with over a dozen players from the 2023 team and practice squad who eventually signed free agency deals with other teams. With roster cuts made Tuesday, many of those players did not stay with their new team. Of course, it’s entirely possible they could find their way back to their team’s practice squad or a different roster entirely.
But first, let’s take a look at the status of the notable players who left the Lions in the offseason.
Created their initial 53-man roster
TE Zach Ertz — Made it to the Commander list
WR Josh Reynolds – Made it into the Broncos squad
OG Jonah Jackson – made it into the Rams squad
DT Benito Jones – Made it into the Dolphins roster
CB Will Harris – On the Saints roster
DB CJ Gardner-Johnson – In the Eagles squad
Did not make it into the original 53-man squad
OT Matt Nelson – Released by the Giants
EDGE Julian Okwara – Released by the Eagles
LB Anthony Pittman – Released by the Commanders
CB Chase Lucas – Released by the 49ers
CB Cam Sutton – Placed on the Steelers’ reserve/restricted list
CB Jerry Jacobs – Released by the Rams (with injury settlement)
S Tracy Walker – Released by the 49ers
In total, only six of the 13 players who left the Lions during the offseason managed to remain on their new team’s 53-man roster. Still, it would not be a surprise if some of the released players returned to their new team’s practice squad.
Still, it’s interesting to see guys once considered key pieces to the Lions’ future — like Tracy Walker and Jerry Jacobs — looking for jobs Wednesday. It’s a stark reminder that things can change quickly in the NFL.
If you’re wondering if any of these released/released players could return to Detroit, it’s hard to say. The Lions parted ways with many of them for a reason. I could see guys like Pittman and Lucas drawing interest because of their special teams skills, but Detroit already appears to have replacements for both players in Ben Niemann and Loren Strickland.
Regardless, we wish the boys all the best and will update this post after the second wave of squad changes and signings for the training squad.
