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Detroit Lions: 5 Cut candidates sitting on roster bubble

By Samuel Teets

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 28: Ty Johnson #31 of the Detroit Lions tries to get around the tackle of Roquan Smith #58 of the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on November 28, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Chicago won the game 24-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 28: Ty Johnson #31 of the Detroit Lions tries to get around the tackle of Roquan Smith #58 of the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on November 28, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Chicago won the game 24-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions, Joshua Garnett (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images) /

2. Frank Herron, DL

Detroit added Herron as a member of the practice squad last year. He originally went undrafted in 2018 before spending short stints with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans. With the Lions adding multiple new interior defensive lineman and some edge depth, Herron doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

Matt Patricia’s team beefed up its defensive front this offseason by signing free agent defensive tackles Danny Shelton and Nick Williams. The organization even used a sixth-round pick on Utah’s John Penisini, completely remaking the defensive tackle position.

Detroit remains less settled at defensive end, but the team gets Da’Shawn Hand back from IR and drafted Ohio State’s Jashon Cornell in the seventh-round. Third-round pick Julian Okwara and his older brother, Romeo Okwara, should play a significant role this year.

With so much new talent flooding in, Herron faces an uphill battle for a roster spot.

1. Joshua Garnett, G

The Lions signed Joshua Garnett to a one-year, $1.3 million deal this offseason. San Francisco selected Garnett with the 28th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the Stanford product quickly ran into a wall with the 49ers. After a harsh rookie season, Garnett began suffering injuries that, combined with mediocre play, cost him a starting spot.

While Garnett could offer some valuable depth in Detroit, he hasn’t played a regular-season snap since 2018 (San Francisco released him last August). The Lions also drafted guards Jonah Jackson (third-round) and Logan Stenberg (fourth-round) this year. That pushes Garnett to the roster’s edge.

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Detroit could also shed some extra spots on the offense by releasing Isaac Nauta or Matt Sokol. As a 2019 seventh-round pick, Nauta spent some time on Detroit’s practice squad last season before the team elevated him to the active roster. Sokol went undrafted last year. However, undrafted free agent signee Hunter Bryant could push one of the two young tight ends off the final roster.

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