Getty Travis Fulgham against Buffalo in the preseason.
The Detroit Lions had to get down to 80 players this week, and the team wasted no time getting it done with some cuts on Sunday morning.
Detroit trimmed their roster to 80 players with 6 cuts. Perhaps the biggest name that got sent packing was wideout and 2019 6th round pick Travis Fulgham. Also heading home are guard Josh Garnett, defensive back Michael Jackson, wideout Chris Lacy, linebacker Christian Sam and defensive end Jonathan Wynn.
Lions cut 6 players to get to 80-man roster.
Garnett was signed this offseason, Jackson was added to the team last year as a depth piece, Lacy had his moments in camp and the preseason last year as a depth wideout and has played in some games for the team and Sam and Wynn were rotational depth pieces on the defense.
Now that the Lions are down to 80 players, they can mix the rookies with the veterans when practices get going on the field.
Travis Fulgham Could Have Made Waves
The cut of Fulgham is perhaps a bit surprising considering the wideout had an advantage of fitting right in within the team’s offense and what they do well. In fact, as Pro Football Focus explained, Fulgham is one of the best deep ball wideouts in his entire draft class.
Could Travis Fulgham be a perfect fit for this Bevell-led offense that predicates itself on the deep ball?
Highest Deep REC grade in 2019 Draft Class (2018 season):
1. Andy Isabella, 97.8
2. Hakeem Butler, 96.6
3. Travis Fulgham, 96.0 🦁
4. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, 95.2
Fulgham could have been the player who benefitted most from Allison choosing to sit out the 2020 season. Entering camp, it seemed as if Fulgham could be one player on the bubble considering the team’s overall depth at wide receiver. The Lions want to dial up the deep passes, and Fulgham could have simply slide into the role that Allison was slated to occupy on the team.
The duo might not be similar in terms of league experience, but Fulgham could quietly be the next up for the team in terms of breaking out.
An opportunity now exists for the young wideout to break out, and it will be fascinating to watch and see if he can seize upon the chance and the snaps he will likely be given.
Josh Garnett Biography
This offseason, 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.
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? Another team will have to decide that after Detroit moved on, and all of these players will be moving on now.
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