RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Detroit Lions have set their initial 53-man roster, and it has a fair number of surprises. From unexpected veterans getting cut to players beating the odds and making the team, the Lions made cut-down day entertaining as usual (albeit very delayed—please be quicker with your roster announcement next time!).
There is no shortage of stunning moves that Detroit made , but which decision surprised you the most?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
What was the Detroit Lions’ most surprising roster decision?
My answer: Keeping Jabari Small on the 53-man roster.
I will credit Small for making an impact in camp, but that sadly never materialized in preseason. He missed the first preseason game with a knee injury. After just three carries, he suffered a concussion in the second preseason game. In the third and final preseason game, he was knocked out of the game on a kickoff return. It is an unfortunate circumstance for a player who was reportedly neck-and-neck with Jacob Saylors , but the writing was seemingly on the wall for Small.
His staying on the roster tells me three things. Firstly, his injury is not severe enough to warrant a stint on the Injured Reserve—the Lions only used one of their two IR-to-return slots on cutdown day (Cade Mays). Second, the team clearly liked him a lot despite his preseason absences. As a shifty player who can contribute as a pass catcher and on special teams, it’s not hard to envision why the Lions would want to keep him around. Finally, you have to wonder about the status of Isiah Pacheco for Week 1 if the Lions are keeping five running backs on the initial roster.
While I am still scratching my head about keeping Small over, say, Nick Whiteside, I am happy for Small and excited to see what he can bring to the offense.
So, what Lions’ decision was the most surprising to you? Let us know in the comments.
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