Getty Brian Price hits Alex Smith while playing with the Cowboys.
The Detroit Lions have seen their season begin yet and already they are set to lose a veteran player from their defensive line.
On Tuesday morning, it was revealed that defensive tackle Brian Price was set to retire. Price joined the Lions earlier this offseason on a short contract, but now he will not be a part of the team moving forward after the team revealed he was placed on reserve-retired list earlier in the day.
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#Lions place Brian Price on Reserve/Retired
When Price retires, that means the Lions now have a second open roster spot at their disposal. That means the team could make an addition at defensive line and at another spot, such as running back or wide receiver if they want. During camp, that could provide some options, especially as cut time looms in a few weeks.
Price’s Stats and Highlights
While playing at UTSA, Price was teammates with current Lions’ defensive tackle Kevin Strong. That connection could help both be more comfortable while playing in the league. Price himself was very productive in college with 81 tackles and 3 sacks, and though he went undrafted in 2016, his 6-3 size helped him land a fast role in the league. Out of college, Price latched on first with the Green Bay Packers in 2016, then joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, Cleveland Browns in 2018, Indianapolis Colts in 2019, Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and 2020 and finally back to Green Bay for parts of last season. In the league, Price has only seen spot duty and has 20 tackles to go with a pass deflection.
Here’s a look at Price playing against Arizona in college:
If this is it for Price, he spent a decent career in the league and made a decent difference when he did get a chance to play.
Lions Defensive Line Seeing Depth for 2021
If there was a spot on the Detroit roster that should have been primed for some sort of upgrade, it was the defensive line. The Lions lacked depth in the middle, but adding Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill will help that in a big way. The deeper the Lions get in the middle of the line, the better off they will be in terms of getting better presence on the outside as well as depth.
If Onwuzurike was to be able to become a star, that would be a huge development for the Lions and their defensive line depth up front. Already, the depth has been upgraded, which is good to know ahead of a season in which the Lions have to get tougher up front on defense for a complete turnaround.
The hope for the Lions is that the team has enough defensive line depth to get by this season, but with Price’s retirement, another spot on the roster is open for the team. If the team deems it a need, they could always use this to their advantage.
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