One Player Lions Will Regret Not Claiming Off Waivers

Read more on the one player the Detroit Lions will regret not claiming, heading into the start of the 2021 NFL season.

The Detroit Lions will arguably go into the 2021 NFL season with the weakest receivers group in the entire league. And that's even after Detroit general manager Brad Holmes swung a trade for Denver Broncos wideout Trinity Benson. 

So, all eyes were on what Holmes & Co. would do on the waiver wire, in an attempt to upgrade the team's group of pass-catchers. 

One player who was available was ex-Lions wide receiver Travis Fulgham, who was cut prior to the start of last season by former Detroit general manager Bob Quinn. 

Fulgham went on to have a whirlwind type of season. 

He was claimed off waivers from the Lions by the Green Bay Packers and then cut by the Packers within less than a week. Following his short stay in Green Bay, he was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles then waived the 2019 sixth-round draft pick -- as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players -- and placed him on their practice squad to open up the season. 

So, going into the 2020 campaign, there were little-to-no expectations for Fulgham, and he was basically an afterthought for the Eagles. 

Then, the injuries began to pile up for Philadelphia's wide receivers corps, providing the Old Dominion product with an opportunity to prove his worth as part of the active roster. And boy, did he do so -- at least at first. 

Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound wideout made his 2020 debut in Week 4, and ended up producing two catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in a contest with the San Francisco 49ers. He followed that up with a career-best day in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, hauling in 10 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. 

His performance against the Steelers marked the start of a four-week stretch, during which he recorded at least five catches and at least 73 yards in each game. 

However, his production fizzled out hugely after that. In fact, from Week 10 on, he never scored another touchdown or amassed more than two catches and 30 yards in a single contest. 

He fell out of favor pretty quickly in the "City of Brotherly Love" in 2020, and then failed to make the Eagles' season-opening 53-man roster in 2021, after a subpar training camp and preseason. 

Fulgham has since cleared waivers, and been signed to Philadelphia's practice squad. 

At this point, it's probably fair to say that the big numbers Fulgham put up in his first five games in an Eagles uniform were an anomaly. 

There's a high likelihood he will never replicate that kind of production moving forward in his NFL career. 

Yet, with the depleted nature of Detroit's receivers room, there's still a case to be made that Holmes & Co. should've put a waiver claim in for the 25-year-old, who turns 26 on September 13. 

In fact, I believe that Fulgham will end up being the one player that the Lions regret not claiming, heading into the start of the 2021 season.

Join the AllLions Community

• Subscribe to the AllLions podcast on iTunes
• Like and follow AllLions on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter: @detroitpodcast @vitojerome @llamorandier @danielkellybook @CBooher_
• Follow Detroit Sports Podcast on Instagram: @detroitsports_podcast

Become a premium AllLions member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more

BECOME A MEMBER