5 nearly unknown Lions players that have a chance to sneak on to the 53-man roster this year
There's a bit of sadness to the reason we're writing this today, but it is what it is. The Detroit Lions waived cornerback Craig James on Tuesday and the reaction from part of the Lions fan base was that they just didn't know who he was. It's understandable because James never played a game for […]
There's a bit of sadness to the reason we're writing this today, but it is what it is. The Detroit Lions waived cornerback Craig James on Tuesday and the reaction from part of the Lions fan base was that they just didn't know who he was.
It's understandable because James never played a game for the Lions. He was signed to the team in December and the idea was that he could potentially be a special teams guy if needed. He spent two years with Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp in Philadelphia.
This gave me some thought. There's a few guys on the team that Lions fans may not recognize and that have a real chance to sneak onto the 53-man roster this year after a good training camp and preseason. Let's go deep under the radar and talk about these guys.
G Matt Farniok
Farniok was signed to the Lions practice squad last December. The idea being that the Lions had some extra guard depth in case they needed it. Farniok played 19 games for the Cowboys and started two of them. Farniok is still relatively young at 26-years-old and there's must have been something the Lions saw in him. That's why they signed him to a futures deal after the season. We'll see how he does in camp.
The Lions could use some solid guard depth with Sorsdal going back to tackle. Mahogany is expected to be pretty good, but the Lions may initially look to someone with more experience to start out. That is if they ever need to.
WR Daurice Fountain
When the Lions added Fountain to their practice squad last August, I got a DM from a Bears writer who was letting me know how good Fountain is and that he was shocked the Bears let him walk. Especially when they needed receiver help.
Fountain is one of those guys that can put up some plays that make you wonder why he's a practice squad guy.
The problem is that he just hasn't found the right place for him yet and while he's good in the preseason, he hasn't had a whole lot of regular season chances to show what he can do. He hasn't played a regular season game since 2021.
Fountain had a pretty strong Spring for the Lions and with the receiving corps up in the air, he has a shot to grab a spot on the 53-man roster if he has a good summer too.
OL Connor Galvin
Galvin was an undrafted rookie last season and he got some real chances to show what he could do during the preseason and he played pretty well. He finished up with a 79.2 cumulative grade from Pro Football Focus after playing left tackle for three games. The Lions signed him the practice squad and then signed him to a futures deal at the end of the year. He is someone to really keep an eye on during camp. He could possibly sneak onto the 53-man roster this year. Especially with Giovanni Manu possibly taking a redshirt year.
TE Sean McKeon
The Lions have Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright at tight end. It's easy to forget about the rest of the tight ends on the roster. McKeon is also new to town. The Lions just signed him in May. He spent the previous four seasons with the Cowboys and played in 45 regular season games for them. Mostly as a blocking tight end.
He's actually pretty good at that too. He had pass block grades of 79 and 80 from PFF in 2022 and 2023. The Lions may look to McKeon to be their sixth offensive lineman at times. They may also look for him to be a fullback from time to time as well.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said during mandatory minicamp that the Lions may look to the tight ends to play some fullback. He wasn't talking about putting LaPorta in that spot. McKeon can carve out a role as a utility guy who can do a bunch of stuff that people just don't think about.
Kyle Peko
Peko is also new to the Lions, but he's been around the league for a while now. He has multiple years of experience with new Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams. He spent two season with the Titans and got some playing time there as well. He started 10 games for them last year.
The Lions are stacked in the middle right now with DJ Reader, Alim McNeill, Brodric Martin, Levi Onwuzurkie and Mehki Wingo, but with the two latter guys starting to get some work on the outside, there's a chance that Peko could get some run with the Lions. Especially early in the year while some of the younger guys continue their development. I look at Peko like he's Benito Jones. A big body that can come in and eat some space and maybe make a play every now and again.
New York Sound draft pick rocks an awesome vintage Lions jacket on stage at 2024 PWHL Draft
The Professional Women's Hockey League held their 2024 draft in Minneapolis on Monday and the Detroit Lions had something to do with it believe it or not. No, they weren't there physically, but they were there in spirit. The New York Sirens fifth-round pick Ell Hartje wore a sweet vintage Lions jacket on stage after being […]
