Pride of Detroit
For the past seven weeks, Ty Summers has been taking care of a three-and-a-half-year-old, a 20-month old, and a wife who’s expecting a third child in November. For Summers, that’s a joy he’ll never take for granted, but it was also a mental challenge. He was in danger of losing a football career he’s spent nearly his entire life fighting for.
Starting as a seventh-round pick in 2019 for the Green Bay Packers, Summers climb into the league wasn’t easy. But despite the long odds to make the roster, he battled and earned an essential role on special teams for Green Bay. In his rookie season, he led the Packers in special teams snaps and held that four-core role for three seasons. Since then, he’s jumped from team to team. Given his value on special teams, tenacious attitude, and ridiculous athletic build, he rarely had trouble finding a new job and earning his keep on the field.
But this offseason was different from any other. After failing to make the New York Giants’ squad out of training camp, the phone calls stopped coming… for well over a month.
“It’s definitely mentally taxing,” Summers said. “It tests your will a little bit, and how much you really want to do this. Because it feels like when you get let down over and over again, it can attack you mentally, take you away from what you feel like you’re called to do.”
Summers kept working out, kept staying in shape, and on Monday night, the call he was waiting for finally came via the Detroit Lions.
“My wife was cooking dinner Monday night, we’re going through our regular night routine. My agent calls, says, ‘Hey, the Lions are flying you out tonight for a workout.’ I was like, ‘Uh, okay.’ (They) set a flight for 2.5 hours later, had to pack real quick, had to fly out. There was no time to think about it,” Summers recalls.
Not only did the Lions immediately sign Summers to the practice squad, but a day later, they added him to the 53-man roster, and he’s expected to play this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals on special teams.
It’s unusual for a player to come in on a Monday, workout and sign on a Tuesday, get promoted on Thursday, and play that Sunday. But the Lions were familiar with Summers due to a short stint with the team in 2024. And back then, he proved he can handle a quick promotion.
Last year, he was signed on a Monday and then asked to play 39 defensive snaps—second most on the team—and 12 special teams snaps (also second most) that Saturday for Detroit’s second preseason game. He responded in a huge way, posting three tackles and a 79.2 PFF grade vs. the Chiefs, then tallied nine tackles, two for loss, one sack, and two QB hits in the team’s preseason finale against the Steelers.
“(He) got up on the defense that fast, understood what we were trying...
