The Detroit Lions had to make a ton of tough decisions to reduce their roster to 53 players on Saturday. General manager Bob Quinn admitted to drafting mistakes by way of the roster cuts but he wants the best 53-man roster for 2019.
Via Dave Birkett in the Detroit Free Press:
“[Head coach] Matt [Patricia] tells them, I tell them, ‘Hey, listen, it doesn’t matter how you got here. If you’re better than the guy I drafted in the fifth round, so be it. I’ll admit mistakes and we’ll keep the best 53 guys. Or if you’re a practice squad guy, we’ll keep working with you and we’ll try to get you on the roster later in the season,'” Quinn said Thursday. “I’ve always been that way.”
Among the bevy of roster moves, Quinn and the Lions released two of their draft picks from this season in Isaac Nauta and P.J. Johnson. On the other hand, Detroit kept three undrafted rookies on their roster to begin the season.
Over Quinn's first four seasons as the Lions GM, the team has kept at least one undrafted rookie on the roster. This year, the Lions have 10 first-year players on their current roster.
Last year was the first year that Quinn got to work with Matt Patricia as his head coach. Both are committed to changing the culture in Detroit in the coming seasons.
In Patricia's first year at the helm, the Lions ended the season with a 6-10 record and were last place in the NFC North. This year, Quinn will do anything to win games; even it means cutting some of the players he drafted this offseason.
Follow Us
Subscribe