Getty Jordan Ta'amu makes a throw for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL.
The Detroit Lions are pushing to get their roster in order ahead of several deadlines, and elected not to make anyone wait for the moves, which are due by Tuesday afternoon.
Monday afternoon, the Lions revealed their latest round of cuts, and there weren’t many surprises on the list in spite of the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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The team revealed that they would be waiving wideout Darius Jennings and would be cutting nose tackle P.J. Johnson, running back Javon Leake, outside linebacker Robert McCray and quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu was just signed last week, but apparently, the Lions believe they don’t need him at this point in time.
The #Lions announced today the following roster moves:
Released – WR Darius Jennings
Waived – NT P.J. Johnson, RB Javon Leake, OLB Robert McCray, QB Jordan Ta’amu.
Detroit’s roster will remain fluid until next Tuesday, when the team will reveal their final round of cuts. The Lions will have to go from 80 to 53 by next week, and this is merely the next round of tough decisions the team will have to make.
Timeline of Lions Roster Cuts Thus Far
Last week, the Lions revealed their first round of roster cuts to get their number to 85. Going the other way were defensive lineman Michael Barnett, wideout Chad Hansen as well as long snapper Don Muhlbach. Out of that group, quite possibly the biggest surprise was Muhlbach, given he was a veteran player who had been on the roster since 2004 and held down the snapping role. As these moves were revealed, the Lions have made it clear that some of their deeper spots will be tough to crack a role. Wideout, quarterback, nose tackle and linebacker are a few of those spots right now, and there was simply nowhere for these players to go on the roster at this point in time.
Jordan Ta’amu Stats and Highlights
The headliner from this cut group will likely be the quarterback. Ta’amu, 23, still has plenty of youth on his side as he joins the team once again. The former Ole Miss quarterback was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans after the 2019 draft. He stuck there for camp that year, then was released. Ta’amu then latched on with the XFL last October and played for the St. Louis BattleHawks. While there, he put up 1,050 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, as well as 217 yards rushing and 1 touchdown in just 5 games played. After the XFL folded, he went to Kansas City before finally being picked up by Detroit late last season.
In college, Ta’amu was a solid prospect for the Rebels, finishing a brief two-year career as a starter with 5,600 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those were pretty productive numbers in the rough and tumble SEC for the quarterback, so it’s obvious he has some talent.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
Now, Ta’amu will have to take these talents elsewhere for the 2021 season. It will be interesting to see who will give him another look for a roster job.
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