Evaluating Upcoming Lions Roster Decisions
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Now that the NFL is through three weeks of the season, there are also three Detroit Lions players that are eligible to return to action.
Safety Jayron Kearse, a free-agent acquisition this past offseason, has fulfilled his substance abuse suspension, and is able to be activated to the 53-man roster.
On the injury front, both cornerback Mike Ford and running back Bo Scarbrough have hit the minimum three-week threshold before being able to come back from injured reserve.
Any time a player is placed on the roster, that means another player must be released to make room.
So, who is most likely to lose a roster spot? Let's discuss.
With Kearse, I'm sure the Lions would love to bring his size and slot coverage ability into the fold.
The strong safeties of the Lions have not been playing great so far this season.
Will Harris has been a liability when on the field, and even Tracy Walker hasn't necessarily lived up to expectations so far after questionable usage.
At least Walker has shown a ton of potential in the past, and it's hopefully a matter of him just going through a little rough patch.
The addition of Kearse could allow Walker to play more of the JOKER role, where he has excelled so far in his young career.
If the Lions are to add Kearse and cut another defender, there are a couple players that could be on the chopping block.
Safety C.J. Moore has been battling injury, but is a strong special teams contributor.
That's not to say that he has a guaranteed roster spot.
Detroit already has quite a few solid special teamers, and Kearse is no slouch himself in the third phase of the game.
Next is Ford.
In all likelihood, cornerback Chris Jones could be the odd man out.
It would make the most sense to just swap Ford for Jones.
Lastly, Scarbrough can enter the running back mix.
Ever since the Lions signed running back Adrian Peterson, Scarbrough's role in this offense has been a real question mark.
As a big, physical runner, Scarbrough's skill set is a bit redundant when compared to Peterson's.
Even the No. 4 running back Ty Johnson was inactive against the Arizona Cardinals, and adding another to the 53-man roster wouldn't make too much sense.
It's very possible the Lions keep Scarbrough on injured reserve as a way to hold onto him.
The same goes for Ford.
If Ford or Scarbrough aren't completely healthy, there shouldn't be a rush to bring either of them back.
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