The Detroit Lions continue to methodically put together a roster for the 2022 season, and they keep scouring the market for key additions to perhaps provide some depth in the future.
One of the team’s weakest spots has proven to be at tight end. While the Lions haven’t yet had the chance to make a move in free agency or the draft to fix the spot, that doesn’t mean the team plans to sit idle when they could add players they like, either.
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On Tuesday, January 18, the Lions revealed they had signed tight end Jordan Thomas to a futures deal. Thomas has been in the NFL since 2018 and is only 25 years old, making him another young player for the team to get a look at.
#Lions have signed TE Jordan Thomas to a Reserve/Future Contract
The Lions seem to understand that they are thin at tight end and are doing everything they can to add to the depth of the group. That’s good news ahead of next season. Thomas adds another body that could eventually emerge.
Thomas’s Stats & Highlights
Coming into the league out of Mississippi State in 2018, Thomas was a sixth-round pick of the Houston Texans. He immediately made the team and made a huge impact during the 2018 season with 215 yards and 4 touchdowns as one of the top rookie players on the roster and a huge red zone threat. As was explained in a breakdown video by a Texans site, he can be a weapon for a passing game:
Thomas sustained an injury in 2019 and was lost for most of the year. In 2020, he was waived by the Texans in September. From there, he latched on with the Arizona Cardinals where he cracked the team’s practice squad and was then elevated to the roster where he scored 1 touchdown. Thomas went to New England after being cut in November 2020, and then signed with Indianapolis in the 2021 offseason. He was waived there and has not been signed since.
With health on Thomas’s side, the hope will be that the Lions might get the best football out of the youngster since his 2018 debut.
Lions Revealing Future Signings for 2022
The Lions have done a good job this season finding players that fit their scheme in a big way as undrafted free agents as well as waiver pickups, and that work this year should give fans faith that some of these players could play a role for the team moving forward. Cornerback Saivion Smith was added late in the season and the team got some solid play out of him on special teams as well as on defense. Linebacker Tavante Beckett was an undrafted free agent that hung around on the practice squad and could grow into a role on the defense in time. Dan Skipper is a rotational offensive lineman that has seen NFL snaps in the league before, and wideout Javon McKinley was a solid weapon for the team in the preseason. Tight end Shane Zylstra could be in the mix for a depth role at tight end in 2022 given the team’s weak depth at the position. The same could be said for recent signing Matt Sokol.
The Lions revealed their complete list of signings with a tweet last week on Monday. Here’s a look at the announcement:
#Lions roster moves:
Signed the following to a Reserve/Future Contract:
DE Eric Banks
LB Tavante Beckett
DE Bruce Hector
WR Javon McKinley
QB Steven Montez
CB Parnell Motley
OT Dan Skipper
CB Saivion Smith
TE Shane Zylstra
Activated OLB Austin Bryant from Reserve/COVID-19
For Detroit, it’s interesting to see the team bring back plenty of studs from the preseason and the practice squad, and many of these players could have a chance to crack the roster moving forward.
While most of the names might not make a huge impact, in the past, players being added on futures deals have proven to be solid preseason players, members of the practice squad or great depth pieces for the team.
Detroit hopes to find some potential gold with Thomas due to the fact that he has some production in his past.
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Lions Sign Productive Former NFL Tight End to Futures Contract