The Detroit Lions have just under a week to go from 80 players down to their final 53 man roster, and have gotten on the road to that with an early move.
Tuesday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press revealed that the team had cut wideout Geremy Davis from the roster.
Davis had long odds of making the roster with the Lions stacked at the wide receiver position, and now he will have to latch on somewhere else ahead of the start of the 2020 season in a few weeks time.
Geremy Davis Stats
A few months back, it was revealed that the team had signed Geremy Davis, a wideout from the Los Angeles Chargers. Davis, 28, is known more in the league for his special teams work than his pass catching.
Davis was a sixth round pick in 2015 for the New York Giants out of Connecticut. He has only 59 yards receiving during his time in the league. He spent the next four seasons with the Chargers until this offseason, when he became a free agent. At that point, Davis departed for Detroit.
He seemed to be a long shot for the roster, but many thought he might make an impact on special teams enough to stay.
Lions 2020 Roster
The Lions spent much of the offseason trying to improve some deficiencies on their defense and offense. In free agency, the team signed names such as cornerback Desmond Trufant, linebacker Jamie Collins and linemen Danny Shelton and Nick Williams while trading for safety Duron Harmon. They also signed Halapoulivaati Vaitai for the offensive line and Chase Daniel to back up the quarterback spot, and made key depth signings such as safety Jayron Kearse and cornerbacks Tony McRae and Darryl Roberts. The Lions said goodbye to a few former mainstays in free agency like offensive lineman Graham Glasgow and punter Sam Martin while trading former franchise star Darius Slay.
When the draft came along, the Lions were also very active. Cornerback Jeff Okudah, running back D’Andre Swift, guard Jonah Jackson, edge rusher Julian Okwara, guard Logan Stenberg, wideout Quintez Cephus, running back Jason Huntley, defensive tackle John Penisini and defensive lineman Jashon Cornell were all added to the mix. As a whole, the draft class was solid in plenty of ways. Detroit addressed some of their biggest needs including a new cornerback as well as toughness on the offensive and defensive lines. They also added a potentially elite runner in Swift.
As a whole, there have been enough changes to think that the team has beefed up enough in key spots to contend. The roster is fairly balanced, and is looking much deeper on defense and offense in some very key places.
Lions 2020 Schedule
Detroit finished in last in 2019, meaning they once again had to play a last place schedule which many rate as easier. The Lions have been no stranger to playing a last place schedule lately. Just this season it happened for the team after they went 6-10 in 2018. Prior to that, the Lions had played a much better schedule given their higher finish from 2017, but were not able to capitalize. Detroit has found life just as difficult with an easier schedule, and will once again have that to deal with in 2020.
How are they expected to fare this year? Many see the Lions as a potential under the radar fit to win the NFC North this coming season or contend for a playoff spot. They will now put their roster to the test this coming season to see how they finish.
Davis will not be a part of this group for this season, but could always come back if the chance persists later in the year and there is a need.
READ NEXT: Lions Cornerback Suffers Injury in Practice
Comments