Dan Campbell: Lions Forced to Release 'Really Good Players'
The Detroit Lions’ preseason has come to its conclusion and subsequently, the onus is now on Dan Campbell & Co. to cut the team’s roster down to 53 players. The league-wide roster cutdown deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. (EST).
Campbell and Lions general manager Brad Holmes have already started to trim the roster, too. They parted ways with offensive lineman Alex Mollette, tight end Daniel Helm and defensive lineman Christian Covington on Saturday, one day after Detroit’s preseason finale in Carolina.
Those were likely easy cuts to make for Campbell and the Lions’ front office, as neither Mollette, Helm or Covington had a real strong showing in training camp.
In stark contrast, the Lions are equipped with several “bubble” players that stood out throughout the course of camp and the preseason.
Undrafted free agents Steven Gilmore and Dylan Drummond, for example, put together impressive performances against the Panthers Friday night.
Gilmore, a cornerback out of Marshall, had a very solid night in coverage. He recorded four passes defensed and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Drummond, a receiver out of Eastern Michigan, came down with multiple impressive diving catches. In total, he amassed a game-high five receptions (on six targets) for 46 yards.
Gilmore and Drummond each likely secured roster spots with their standout performances, and were among the players that impressed Campbell in Detroit’s exhibition tilt with Carolina.
“Look, (Khalil) Dorsey, it was a heck of a kickoff return. It was a big turnover he created, a takeover right before halftime that he was responsible for, good in coverage. And, then ‘Gily’ (Gilmore) comes up with another one, man. It was big. Then, you got (Chase) Lucas right before halftime (with an interception),” Campbell told reporters after Friday’s preseason contest. “So, I thought those guys played their hearts out. They really stepped up and made plays for us.
“And, then the receiver position, what was most encouraging was those contested catches that we weren’t coming down with, or with defenders around we were getting these drops. But, this week, we made plays. I thought Drummond made some critical catches, and I thought (Antoine) Green really showed up. That catch he had where he ran through the dagger for a touchdown, that was big, and that was a hell of a throw by Teddy (Bridgewater).”
Even though Campbell is now in his third year as Lions head man, it hasn’t made the task of cutting down the team’s roster any easier.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Campbell said. “And, here we are, in year three of what (general manager) Brad (Holmes) and I have done. It’s getting that much harder. I mean, we’re going to have to let go of some really good players, and that’s tough. It’s tough to do. But, it also means that there’s growth and the talent level has gone up. And, that’s a good thing for your football team, as long as it’s the right guys you’re keeping. We feel pretty good about everyone on this team, that’s in this crop. But, it’s always tough this time of year.”
