Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions announced a slew of roster moves to shake up their secondary in preparation for their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The full list of transactions is as follows:
Signed to practice squad:
Waived:
The biggest move here is the addition of Fuller, a nine-year NFL veteran. A third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Fuller has started a total of 104 games in his career. He’s played for Washington on two different occasions (2016-17, 2020-23), the Chiefs (2018-19), and most recently the Miami Dolphins last season. In 2024, he started 11 games for Miami, producing 50 tackles, seven pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a decent 66.2 PFF grade. In fact, Fuller has produced PFF grades of 70 or over in every season since 2017 except for two: last year and 2020.
Fuller was cut by the Dolphins in February in a move that saved nearly $3 million in cap space. It’s worth noting, too, that Fuller dealt with a pair of concussions in 2024.
At 5-foot-11, 198 pounds, Fuller has mostly played outside cornerback in his career. There he can provide the Lions with some immediate relief, given that D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, and Avonte Maddox are all expected to miss this week’s game against the Buccaneers.
As for the other moves, Eguakun and Smith were waived on Saturday to create room for safety Erick Hallett, defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson and cornerback Nick Whiteside. After clearing waivers, they’re back.
The waiving of Strickland is a little surprising given the Lions are shorthanded at safety with Brian Branch suspended for a game and Kerby Joseph battling a knee injury. However, it would not be surprising to see Strickland return to the team’s practice squad. However, he’ll have to clear waivers first.
