Lions appear to be forgoing taking advantage of a very popular program they took part in last year

The Detroit Lions will start training camp on Wednesday and we'll be in the thick of things before you know it. The team signed guard Ike Boetgger on Monday and brought their roster up to a full 90 players. As of right now, it looks like they won't be one of the teams that has a special 91st spot that's reserved for an International Pathways Player.

They won't be alone in that, there are 11 other NFL teams that currently don't have an international player on their roster. The Lions were one of just eight teams to do it last year when they had Italian offensive lineman Max Pircher on their roster. So it's a bit surprising to see them not do it in 2024 when the IPP program has blown up. 11 teams don't have one, but 21 do.

Despite some reports out there, Lions' fourth-round pick Giovanni Manu is not a part of the International Pathways Program. T he program is strictly for players that are from outside of the US and Canada.

The Lions may see that while taking part in the program gives you some exemptions like having a 91st roster spot during camp or getting an extra practice squad spot during the season, it hasn't really bared a lot of fruit in terms of finding a player that can come up and be a big part of the 53-man roster just yet.

There are guys that have shined though. Guys like Eagles' tackle Jordan Mailata. He's been a starter for the Eagles since 2020. Others have found spots on rosters and been able contribute here and there.

There were some guys that drummed up a lot of excitement around the NFL in this years class. Guys like Chiefs' running back Louis Rees-Zammit, Saints' kicker Charlie Smyth, Dolphins' tackle Bayron Matos and Chargers' receiver Prasie Olatoke.

It should be noted that there's no dedicated time in which a team has to sign these players, so the Lions could very well still get in on it. But traditionally IPP players are signed ahead of camp.

The Lions did take some interest in at least one IPP player this offseason. They worked out safety Ayo Oyelola at rookie minicamp. He has spent the last two years with the Jaguars. There's some thought that he might still have a chance in Detroit due to his connection with new Lions' defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend. We'll have to see where that goes.

Related: Final Detroit Lions 53-man roster, depth chart and practice squad projection ahead of training camp