The Detroit Lions signed linebacker Troy Reeder to add depth to the room. While he did make the roster, the thought was that the veteran would be a prime practice squad candidate. As it turns out, he left the Lions for their old defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn. Reeder signed with the New York Jets’ practice squad.
Detroit Lions Lose Troy Reeder to New York Jets Practice Squad
Detroit signed Reeder when they lost rookie Jimmy Rolder to an injury. However, they also signed Devin White. White not only ascended above Reeder, but he will also now be competing with Malcolm Rodriguez to start in the third linebacker role.
Rolder is healthy and made the 53-man roster, which sealed the fate of Reeder. Detroit kept Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, and White as the starters. Then, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske, and Rolder will serve as the backups.
The Lions also placed Damone Clark on the IR, which ended his season. They released Joe Bachie, Erick Hunter, Ame Ogbongemiga, and Reeder.
Hunter is a rookie UDFA with potential to develop on the practice squad. The Lions could keep two linebackers, but even if they did, that would have come down to Bachie or Reeder. It was starting to look clear that Reeder did not have a role, even on the practice squad.
It is a little bit of irony that he ended up with the Jets, but it likely has more to do with the depth chart than the defenses in Detroit and New York being similar.
The Jets only have four linebackers on their active roster, and their depth is unproven. So, Reeder likely sees an easier path to the field in New York.
Reeder Extends His NFL Career With Jets
Reeder is now set to enter his eighth season in the NFL. He spent his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. Overall, he has played 106 games and started in 38 games.
For his career, he has 335 tackles, with 12 being tackles for loss. He has five sacks and two career interceptions. At his peak, Reeder started in ten games with the Rams in 2021. However, he did not start a single game in 2022 and started in 13 games in the three seasons after that.
Still, he provides special teams value. He has 1,727 career special teams snaps, and 327 of them came last season. He even played 38 snaps for the Lions as he attempted to prove his special teams value.
This could cause him to be an early-season activation on the Jets. Now, the only question is whether the Lions bring back both Bachie and Hunter or only one of the two.