The Lions have one of the deepest rosters, in the NFL, that much is clear. The team is hoping to win the NFC North again in 2025, and this time, make it all the way to the Super Bowl.
With a deep roster like the Lions have, it’s inevitable that some good players will be cut. After four preseason games, the Lions have seen a lot from this roster and will now have to cut about 40 players before the deadline on Wednesday.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com recently identified some notable players around the league who could be cut candidates. Veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick was identified as one of these players due to the Lions’ improving receiver depth.
Regarding Patrick and the Lions, Edholm offered the following:
By nearly all measures, Patrick was a success story for the Lions in 2024, returning from two straight seasons missed because of injury to play 16 games (nine starts) and catch 33 passes for 394 yards and three TDs. But Patrick appears to have fallen behind on this year’s depth chart, with rookie Isaac TeSlaa’s emergence helping push Patrick down.
If the Lions are comfortable with their experience level at the position, they could cut ties with Patrick. I could see a team such as the Jets seeking a reliable veteran receiver like Patrick, who’s also a quality blocker.
As Edholm mentioned, Patrick seems to have fallen in the Lions’ pass-catching pecking order. The team has Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams entrenched at the top, and rookie Isaac TeSlaa has excited with his solid performance this summer.
The team has also seen solid production from some young receivers like Dominic Lovett, Jackson Meeks, and Ronnie Bell, which could make them comfortable getting rid of a veteran like Patrick.
Eric Woodyard of ESPN recently published a final roster projection that featured Patrick and six other receivers making the team. However, there’s no guarantee the team is willing to carry six receivers with so many solid players elsewhere on the roster.
Patrick was one of the coolest stories in the NFL last season. The receiver made his triumphant return to the league after missing the previous two seasons with separate severe injuries.
In his return, Patrick played in 16 games for the Lions, starting in nine, and caught 33 passes for 394 yards and three scores. The receiver was a nice complimentary option behind St. Brown and Williams, but the rookie TeSlaa figures to provide the same, if not more production in 2025.
