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The Detroit Lions entered the second week of the preseason with an open spot on their roster. But the Lions didn’t leave that spot open for very long.
NFL Insider Aaron Wilson reported on August 14 that the Lions signed All-XFL offensive lineman Alex Mollette. He will essentially replace center Ross Pierschbacher on the 90-man roster.
Mollette played the last XFL season with the Houston Roughnecks. He helped block for one of the top running games in the entire XFL.
He arrives in Detroit a day after the team reached an injury settlement with center Ross Pierschbacher.
The Lions did not disclose what injury Pierschbacher sustained. He started in Week 1 of the preseason against the New York Giants but left at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter. Pierschbacher exited the game after Lions right guard Colby Sorsdal fell into the back of his right leg.
Lions Add Alex Mollette to Roster
Mollette joined the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent last season. However, he didn’t make the team after the final roster cutdown day.
In college, Mollette started 46 games at center and guard for Marshall. Because of a redshirt season and the extra year of eligibility due to COVID, he spent six seasons with the Thundering Herd.
With Mollette on the roster, the Lions again have another option at backup center besides undrafted rookie Brad Cecil. Two-time Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow is projected to start at center for the sixth straight season in Detroit.
The Lions released Pierschbacher to help make room for Mollette, but because Pierschbacher was released with an injury settlement, he will be eligible to sign with another team once he returns healthy.
Detroit signed Pierschbacher to a one-year, $1.01 million contract in March. He didn’t play on offense, but he dressed for three contests and appeared on special teams for the Lions last season.
Pierschbacher played at Alabama from 2015-18. The then Washington Redskins drafted him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
When the Lions announced their plan to release Pierschbacher with an injury settlement, the team also signed cornerback Colby Richardson. He is an undrafted rookie from LSU.
Lions Make Another Roster Move on August 14
Signing Mollette gave the Lions 90 players on their roster once again. But hours after adding Mollette, Detroit announced on Twitter that the team was bringing back wide receiver Avery Davis while waiving injured wideout Trey Quinn.
This is the second time in the past two weeks the Lions signed Davis. On August 5, Detroit announced adding Davis to its roster to replace waived edge rusher Zach Morton.
Four days later, the Lions waived Davis to sign running back Devine Ozigbo. But Davis is back on Detroit’s roster again.
An undrafted rookie from Notre Dame, Davis recorded a pair of 300-receiving yard seasons for the Fighting Irish in 2020 and 2021. He served as a team captain last season.
However, Davis didn’t play in 2022. He suffered an ACL tear in his left knee during November 2021. After recovering, he tore his right ACL in practice on August 12 last year.
Quinn was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2018 NFL draft. In addition to the Lions, he has spent time with the then Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos during his NFL career.
