The 2021 NFL Draft is in the books and we are starting to get a better idea of what the Detroit Lions 53-man roster will look like for the upcoming season.
That being said, there could be some interesting cuts moving forward and according to Kyle Meinke of MLive, there are three Lions’ veterans who are on the hot seat.
According to Meinke, Da’Shawn Hand, Tyrell Crosby, and Jahlani Tavai are all on the hot seat following the 2021 NFL Draft.
Here is some of what Meinke has to say about Hand, Crosby, and Tavai. (To read Meinke’s full breakdown, please click here)
Da’Shawn Hand
But Hand hasn’t so much as hit a quarterback in the two years since that season, while injuries forced him to miss more games (19) than he played (13). Detroit’s interior pass rush has fallen into disarray, and the new regime spent its first few months prioritizing that position over almost every other. They’ve already traded for the pass-rushing Michael Brockers, before spending back-to-back picks on athletic defensive tackles like Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill in the first three rounds of the draft. Those guys were two of the top-four interior pass-rushers in this class, according to PFF. Which really makes you wonder what kind of future Hand has in this new defense, or whether he has one at all.
Tyrell Crosby
But someone has to go to the bench to make room for first-round pick Penei Sewell, and it’s not going to be Taylor Decker, who signed a monster extension last offseason and then allowed just two sacks in a borderline elite season at left tackle. Detroit has already said Sewell will move to right tackle when he joins the team, which means Crosby’s claim to that job is gone just as he enters a contract year. His only shot to crack the lineup is to beat out Vaitai for the final guard job, which seems unlikely.
Jahlani Tavai
The second round has been a horror show for the Lions, with Titus Young, Teez Tabor, Ryan Broyles, Kyle Van Noy, Ameer Abdullah and Mikel Leshoure all busting to one degree or another (although Van Noy has found lots of success after getting traded away). But without some kind of intervention, Tavai could push Tabor for the biggest bust of them all.
Nation, which of these three players do you think will get cut?
Tavai and Hand will get cut.