Getty Joshua Garnett on the sidelines during a game.
The Detroit Lions kicked the tires on free agent guard Joshua Garnett a few weeks back, eventually signing the lineman to a contract ahead of free agency.
In the hours after the move was made official, Garnett hopped on Twitter and shared his excitement with being able to join the Lions. Additionally, he provided an important update as it relates to his health. As Garnett said, he’s completely ready to go and healthy ahead of the 2020 season, and is even ready to hit someone.
Here’s a look at what he wrote after the signing:
The health angle is important for the Lions to note on Garnett considering the trouble the player has had staying healthy during the early part of his career thus far. The fact that he sounds incredibly ready to go and excited to be on the team is a positive to note for the Lions.
This year, the team is hoping to mine a bit of gold with the former top pick of San Francisco, and getting him off to a healthy start could be the best way to do just that.
Lions Signed Free Agent Joshua Garnett
A few weeks back, the team revealed they had signed guard Garnett to a contract. Garnett was a former first round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. He had been with the team from then until training camp of 2019, when he was finally released.
The Detroit Lions have signed free agent G Josh Garnett.
Garnett will bolster Detroit’s depth along the offensive line given he plays guard. It’s likely the team will be giving him a look in training camp to see if he can make the roster. Given his recent history, it’s unlikely anything will be guaranteed to Garnett heading into the 2020 season.
Josh Garnett Biography
Coming from NFL bloodlines, Garnett was a standout at Stanford where he claimed the 2015 Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman. After that, the 49ers picked him 28th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. His father Scott Garnett had also played for the 49ers in his career.
Things didn’t get off to a quick start for Garnett in the pros. He started 11 games as a rookie in 2016, but knee surgery stopped his 2017 season in its tracks. By 2018, the 49ers had already seemingly moved on, and Garnett was not able to win his job back. A dislocated toe and thumb hurt his progress then as well. By 2019, the 49ers had officially moved on, and cut Garnett at the end of training camp.
Has Garnett had bad luck or simply been an injury prone bust? That is what the Lions will try to figure out when they get him into camp. The hope for the team, of course, is that they can find a way to unlock some of the potential he has shown in the past given his college career.
The fact he says he is healthy now as he gets set to join Detroit could only prove to be great news for the Lions in the end.
Lions 2020 Cap Space
Detroit will have a decent chunk of change to spend this offseason, having restructured Matthew Stafford’s deal to push their cap space to around $50 million dollars for the coming season. With this money, the Lions will have multiple different needs to address including the defensive line, secondary as well as potential upgrades on offense.
The Lions could always open up more space with a few savvy moves, and there could be other cap casualties that might impact the team’s final salary number more dramatically ahead of March.
For now, though, the Lions have a decent amount of money to spend to patch several of the holes they will be dealing with.
Taking a flier on Garnett is where the offseason starts for Detroit, and it will be interesting to see if he is indeed ready to go by the time the season starts.
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