Getty Tavien Feaster runs against Alabama in 2019.
The Detroit Lions are on a bye week for Week 5, but that doesn’t mean the work of constructing their team has stopped.
Wednesday, the Lions revealed they had managed to pick up former Clemson runner Tavien Feaster. Feaster played with the Tigers from 2016-2018 before departing for the South Carolina in 2019 as a transfer. He didn’t get drafted, but did make it into the NFL on the Jacksonville Jaguars and was later signed by the New York Giants before being let go.
#Lions have signed free agent RB Tavien Feaster to the practice squad
Detroit’s roster is pretty loaded at running back, but the team hasn’t shied away from trying to work players back into the mix that they like in order to keep up depth. At 5-11, 221 pounds, Feaster is a bigger back and the kind of bruiser the Lions have kept around the roster in recent years.
He will be on the team’s practice squad for now, but it’s possible in the event of an injury or something else playing out that Feaster could be on Detroit’s roster at some point. With a game coming against Jacksonville, it’s possible the Lions signed Feaster for scheming purposes.
Regardless, he gets to stick on the practice squad for now.
Tavien Feaster Stats
Running the ball in college, Feaster had a nice career putting up 2,002 yards and 20 touchdowns in 4 seasons. After transferring from Clemson to South Carolina, Feaster put up 672 yards and 5 touchdowns. Feaster is a tough player and someone who was very productive when he got going. Though he departed Clemson, he was a very productive player there for the Tigers, scoring 15 touchdowns as a Tigers running back.
Feaster helped Clemson win the CFP title in 2018 and was a part of arguably the best era of Tigers football. He was released from the Jaguars, signed by the Giants and then released during roster cuts. He had been a free agent since, but now lands in Detroit.
Lions Loaded at Running Back
Why sign Feaster now? Detroit has a solid player on their team currently in Kerryon Johnson that they are developing. Johnson, however, has run into a few issues with injuries the last few years, so the team was looking for someone else that can be a solid running mate for Johnson moving forward. On the roster, D’Andre Swift also came in. The team then pulled a surprise and signed Adrian Peterson just before the season began and he has run strong thus far during the 2020 NFL season.
Currently, the Lions are very deep at the position. They elected against the thought that they needed any more at this point, which is why Jonathan Williams and Ty Johnson got released. Johnson was picked up after his release, and now the Lions will add another player in Feaster for their special teams.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Feaster and if he is a player who can take the next step towards perhaps making an impact for the Lions when he gets his chance.
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