The Lions have found a hidden talent pipeline that the rest of the NFL can’t match
Detroit Lions have built a talent pipeline unlike any team in the NFL. Detroit currently leads the league in former UFL players on its roster, and the results suggest the strategy is becoming a real competitive advantage.
Maybe it’s just because we love the game of football so much, but the UFL is awesome. It’s watching guys who haven’t had a shot in the NFL or are looking for a second shot in the NFL go out and show what they can do to get it. What’s even cooler is when they do get that second shot. What’s even cooler than that is when they do something with that shot.
There is no team that gives out that second shot to UFL players more than the Detroit Lions
The Lions went a bit crazy this week with their UFL signings. They signed four wide receivers and clearly have a goal to churn the bottom of their depth chart there. These guys aren’t going to be just camp bodies. They’re looking for something. It’s probably more of a special teams something, but something nonetheless.
Signing four UFL players had me wondering exactly how many former UFL/XFL/USFL guys the Lions have on their 90-man roster vs the rest of the league. We definitely confirmed the Lions have the overwhelming majority at eight players.
| NFL team | Count | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | 8 | Jake Bates, Jacob Saylors, Thomas Gordon, Nick Whiteside, Tay Martin, Lucky Jackson, Tarik Black, Lawrence Keys III |
| Cowboys | 5 | Brandon Aubrey, KaVontae Turpin, Chris Glaser, Ameer Speed, Denzel Mims |
| Saints | 5 | Tanner Brown, Hunter Dekkers, Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Myles Cole, Barry Wesley |
| Broncos | 4 | Hakeem Butler, Sean Fresch Jr., Dondrea Tillman, Ben DiNucci |
| Steelers | 4 | Jacoby Windmon, Brandon Smith, Kyler Baugh, John Rhys Plumlee |
| Falcons | 4 | Chris Blair, Antwane Wells Jr., Devonnsha Maxwell, Keshawn Banks |
| Dolphins | 4 | Major Burns, Gottlieb Ayedze, Seth Coleman, Mason Brooks |
| 49ers | 4 | Adrian Martinez, Malik Turner, Jaylon Allen, Bradlee Anae |
| Jaguars | 3 | Keni-H Lovely, Ricky Lee, Jerome Carvin |
| Bears | 3 | Tony Fields II, Kaden Davis, Maurice Alexander |
| Texans | 3 | Jha’Quan Jackson, James Neal, Cornell Powell |
| Bills | 3 | Ian Wheeler, Deon Cain, Nelson Ceaser |
| Packers | 3 | Daniel Whelan, Lucas Havrisik, Kawaan Baker |
| Jets | 3 | Kohl Levao, Liam Fornadel, Samuel Jackson |
| Patriots | 3 | Alec Lindstrom, R.J. Moten, Deneric Prince |
| Chargers | 2 | Ryan Nelson, Nehemiah Shelton |
| Cardinals | 2 | Steven Gilmore, Dohnovan West |
| Commanders | 2 | Braylon Sanders, Jacoby Jones |
| Browns | 2 | Toa Taua, Keenan Isaac |
| Rams | 2 | Wyatt Bowles, Mario Williams |
| Buccaneers | 2 | B.T. Potter, Jacob Harris |
| Vikings | 1 | Jalen Redmond |
| Titans | 1 | Sean Brown |
| Chiefs | 1 | Josh Thompson |
| Bengals | 1 | Jordan Moore |
| Panthers | 1 | Bryce Perkins |
| Colts | 1 | Marcus Haynes |
| Raiders | 1 | Seth Williams |
| Ravens | 0 | — |
| Eagles | 2 | Erik Ezukanma, Shaun Wade |
| Giants | 0 | — |
| Seahawks | 0 | — |
I was not expecting 80 former spring league players to be on rosters right now. I was thinking more like 40. But 80 is pretty solid proof that this is something that works in the NFL. I’m sure that number drops dramatically when it comes to 53-man roster counts. Perhaps we’ll come back and make a count then.
The Lions have found some real success with some of the spring league guys they’ve had on their regular-season rosters. Jake Bates has been the team’s kicker for two seasons now, and that has gone well. Jacob Saylors was a decent kick returner last year, and Nick Whiteside had his big career moment against the Buccaneers on primetime. He has a shot to make the 53-man roster again this year.
The Lions are treating this pipeline in a way that most teams just aren’t. They really love going after these guys.
“I think it’s because you have instant tape on those guys, right? They’re fresh.” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said last summer. “(Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) does a great job, and that’s one of the things that he’s made a point of is like, ‘Man, let’s get guys in here that have just played, they’re in shape, we’ve seen the tape.’ These aren’t guys that haven’t been moving, man. They’ve been in football shape doing real things, real cuts, real contact, real all of it. So that’s important to get you through camp, and then you get a look at these guys.”
We’ll see what happens at the end of camp this year, but some of these new guys have a shot. Martin and Keys both bring special teams value that could land them the fifth or sixth receiver spot, assuming the Lions want to carry that many receivers. It definitely looks like they want to find a solid return man.
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