The Detroit Lions announced they have re-signed tight end Isaac Nauta to the active roster and released running back Bo Scarbrough in a corresponding move.
After spending his rookie season on the 53-man roster, Nauta opened this season on the practice squad. Each week, the Lions have elected to protect Nauta from being poached by another team, and over the last two games, they have elevated him to the active roster — both new rules put in place due to COVID-19.
While the new rules have allowed Nauta to stay busy in 2020, he has exhausted his elevation eligibility — players are only allowed to be elevated twice — and with the Lions desire to keep him involved in the Lions offense, they needed to sign him to the active roster in order to have him available on game days.
After yesterday’s announcement that the Lions were bringing back Jonathan Williams, — who is still working his way through the onboarding process and should join the team next week — it was obvious a shakeup was coming in the running backs room.
Scarbrough spent most of the season on injured reserve, but was cleared for action last week, and elevated to the active roster. Less than a day later, he was declared a healthy scratch on game day, raising some concerns about his involvement moving forward. Now, a week later, he is released to make room for Nauta.
If Scarbrough clears waivers — which no Lions’s running back has done this year — it’s very likely he will be brought back and placed on the Lions practice squad.
One other housekeeping note: with Nauta being signed off the practice squad, a spot opened up and the Lions filled it with defensive tackle Albert Huggins, who is now in his third stint with the team.