5 players cut by NFL teams who could intrigue the Lions

The Detroit Lions, like all NFL teams, have less than 24 hours to trim their roster to 53 players.

While that means they’ll need to make over two dozen moves, some players cut loose by other teams could also intrigue them.

Here are five early cuts who the Lions could have interest in (you may notice a theme):

WR Sterling Shepard

Health has hampered Shepard’s career and he’s not the big body that the Lions may prefer but he’s experienced and could be an excellent depth option for Detroit. The 31-year-old former second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Giants but joined Tampa Bay ahead of training camp. He’s proven to be a reliable receiver who can play wide and in the slot and would make a lot of sense to fill a position of weakness for the Lions.

K Riley Patterson

Jake Bates was mostly solid during his three preseason games, making six of his seven field goal attempts and three of his four point-after tries. That said, his 30-yard miss in the preseason finale must’ve hurt Detroit’s confidence in him a bit, and he was shaky in training camp practices. Patterson has had two previous stints with the Lions, making 28 of his 31 field goal attempts and 51 of his 53 point-after tries over 20 games.

He doesn’t have the leg that Bates does but does his accuracy — he’s a career 88.1% on field goal attempts — better suit a team with Super Bowl aspirations?

WR Hakeem Butler

The UFL offensive player of the year, Butler’s great season in the spring league got him a chance with Cincinnati this preseason, although he hardly played in the games. Butler hasn’t yet caught on the NFL since being a fourth-round pick by Arizona in 2019, but he’s 6-foot-5 and could be an option that Dan Campbell and the Lions consider, given Campbell’s desire for a big bodied receiver.

K Spencer Shrader

We already covered Bates enough in Patterson’s section, but Shrader is another option Detroit could look at. He went undrafted this spring out of Notre Dame, where he was a Lou Groza semifinalist in 2021. Shrader only got two field goal tries this preseason with Indianapolis — one from 41 yards, another from 56 — but he made both, as well as all four of his point-after tries. Since he’s also unproven, he seems less likely for the Lions, although they could try to get him on their practice squad. At worst, he’s at least someone to consider.

WR Jakeem Grant

At 5-foot-7, Grant is the opposite of a big receiver and has missed the past couple of seasons due to injury. If healthy, Grant has been a speedy threat with some big-play ability, and he too has experience both wide and in the slot. He’s at least worth a look for the Lions and could provide another weapon for an already explosive offense.