The Lions’ 53-Man Roster Wasn’t What It Seemed

It appears the Detroit Lions’ 53-man roster that they released Sunday night wasn’t exactly what it seemed.

Detroit made a few interesting decisions when putting together its initial 53-man roster, and now we’re starting to see some of those moves play out.

Lions Release Seth McLaughlin

One of the more interesting decisions was keeping backup center Seth McLaughlin, an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, on the initial 53-man roster.

At the time, the move didn’t seem too surprising and appeared to make sense. However, Detroit has now opted to release McLaughlin.

This appears to be another example of the Lions doing some roster gymnastics. Detroit reportedly would have had to pay McLaughlin an injury settlement if they released him from the 90-man roster before the roster-cut deadline.

By initially keeping him on the 53-man roster and releasing him afterward, the Lions could potentially avoid having to pay that settlement.

The interesting part is that Detroit’s practice squad is currently full. That means the Lions will either have to swap McLaughlin with another practice-squad player or leave him off both the practice squad and the 53-man roster entirely.

Lions Also Release Jabari Small

Another interesting decision was Detroit keeping five running backs on its initial 53-man roster, including Jabari Small.

Once again, this appears to be a similar situation to McLaughlin. The Lions may have been able to avoid an injury settlement by keeping Small on the 53-man roster through the initial deadline before releasing him afterward.

It’s still unclear whether Small will find his way back onto Detroit’s practice squad.

Currently, Detroit has two open roster spots on the 53 man roster that they will finalize before week one.

While the roster moves are interesting, Lions general manager Brad Holmes also sat down with the media Wednesday and provided several important updates.

Lions Still Want Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch Extensions

Holmes confirmed that the Lions still want to get both Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch signed to contract extensions.

“We still want to keep those other two around. Plans haven’t changed. There’s a couple factors we have to sort through.”

Holmes added that he remains optimistic the team will be able to get both deals done.

Isiah Pacheco Injury Update

Holmes also provided an update on backup running back Isiah Pacheco, saying the veteran is steadily feeling better but declined to provide a specific timeline for his return.

When asked if the Lions still expect Pacheco to play this season, Holmes responded, “Yeah, that’s the hope.”

That response does leave me a little concerned.

Obviously, Holmes isn’t going to provide a specific timeline for Pacheco’s return, especially with the season just around the corner. However, the fact that he described playing this season as “the hope” makes me wonder if this injury could be more serious than initially believed.

Pacheco is already expected to miss at least the first four games of the season, but there could be a possibility that his absence extends well beyond those four games.

For now, we’ll have to wait for more information, but Holmes’ comments certainly make Pacheco’s situation worth keeping an eye on.