Tag: Josh Garnett

Lions release 6 players including Chris Lacy, Travis Fulgham

Releasing them now gives those vets a chance to try and land elsewhere

Six Detroit Lions veterans woke up to the U2 song “Sunday Bloody Sunday”. The team announced it has cut all six players after less than a full week in the building for training camp.

The most notable here is Travis Fulgham. His agent announced his release on Saturday and the team confirmed they are dumping the 2019 sixth-round wideout.

WR Travis Fulgham
G Josh Garnett
DB Michael Jackson
WR Chris Lacy
LB Christian Sam
DE Jonathan Wynn

Lacy’s name is the biggest surprise here. With the reports of Fulgham being released on Saturday, some speculated Lacy might be the biggest beneficiary.

There is a theme here with all these players. All have at least some NFL experience and all were unlikely to earn more than the final roster spot in Detroit in 2020. Releasing them now gives those vets a chance to try and land elsewhere. With no preseason games to audition for other teams, a straight early release like this is their best chance to latch on and show something in another training camp.

Joe Dahl’s strange season splits highlight the Lions’ OL inconsistency

Dahl was exceptional during the 1st quarter of games in 2019 but rarely sustained the strong starts

Detroit’s offensive line play was all over the map in the 2019 season. From injuries — every regular starter missed at least one game — to an unusual guard rotation to inconsistent performances, the line struggled at times but also turned in some very impressive outings.

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No player epitomized the feast-or-famine nature of the Lions offensive line in 2019 more than left guard Joe Dahl. His season splits highlight why it was so difficult for the Lions offense to stay in a sustained groove, and also why the Lions made significant changes to the line in the offseason.

Dahl was one of the very best blockers in the entire NFL regardless of position in the first quarters of games last season. Only two players, All-Pros Ronnie Stanley and Quenton Nelson, graded out higher in pass protection from Pro Football Focus, than Dahl did in the first quarter in 2019.

Dahl’s pass protection grade for the entire season came in at just 73.0 in PFF’s metrics. He ranked 30th in pass blocking efficiency amongst guards who played at least 50 percent of snaps.

Entering training camp, Dahl remains penciled in as the starting left guard. He will face competition from third-round rookie Jonah Jackson, free agent Josh Garnett and perhaps others as new OL coach Hank Fraley looks for a winning combination. If Dahl can harness how well he played in first quarters a year ago, the job is his and the Lions will be better for it.

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