Getty Shakur Brown celebrates a 2020 interception for Michigan State.
The Detroit Lions continue to hunt for players to help chip in thanks to injuries they have seen play out, and now, they have reached a point where replacements are starting to need replacements.
On Friday, the team revealed they were bringing yet another new name into the mix in the form of Shakur Brown. Brown, a former Michigan State Spartans cornerback in college, comes to Detroit after being on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad early in 2021. The reason for this? Detroit lost another young cornerback to injured reserve in the form of Corey Ballentine.
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Here’s a look at the reveal of the announcement from the team about all of the swaps on their practice squad late this week.
#Lions announce roster moves:
Place CB Corey Ballentine on Reserve/Injured
Sign CB Shakur Brown to the practice squad
Release T Darrin Paulo from the practice squad
Brown will be familiar to many Lions fans given his worth with Michigan State, and the fact that the team added him to the mix is intriguing. While Brown might be buried on the depth chart in a place like Pittsburgh, the Lions could give him a quick chance to see the field once he learns the defense and gets his feet wet. That could only be more of the case given the injuries the Lions might face in future weeks at the position, given how snakebitten they have been.
Now, Brown will get a real shot to prove he can stick in the NFL. Safe to say this opportunity is a big one for Brown and it comes at a critical time early in his career.
Brown’s Career Stats and Highlights
While in college with the Spartans, Brown made quite the impression statistically, racking up 54 total tackles, 2 sacks, 7 interceptions and 1 touchdown for Michigan State. The pandemic-shortened 2020 Big Ten season was Brown’s best in East Lansing, being he managed to intercept 5 passes for the Spartans. After that performance, he declared for the draft, where he was eventually picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers before being released in September. Kansas City picked him up for a week, but Brown has been a free agent since the middle of September.
Here’s a look at some of his best work in college:
Brown has a nose for the ball and has a chance to put those skills to the field for the Lions in a big way.
Brown Getting Major Chance With Lions
Though Brown may no longer be with the Steelers, he is being given a golden opportunity with the Lions just like his teammate Mark Gilbert was provided. That advantage comes in the fact that the Lions already have one of the younger cornerback groups in the league. The team has seen names like Jerry Jacobs, A.J. Parker and Bobby Price see major snaps this year after injuries, and the elder-statesman of the group is 25 year old Amani Oruwariye. To that end, Brown has a great chance to come in and make a quick impression if and when he cracks the roster. Given how much the Lions like to roll with young options, names like Brown and Gilbert might be able to play a bigger role in Detroit right now than anywhere else.
Brown can now set out to learn the playbook and find a way to stick around the Motor City.
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Lions Sign Former Michigan State Cornerback to Practice Squad