The Detroit Lions have made their first genuinely surprising move of roster cutdown day.
Detroit is releasing veteran wide receiver Greg Dortch, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday afternoon, ending what appeared throughout much of training camp to be a strong bid for one of the Lions’ final receiver spots.
And, yeah, this one qualifies as a surprise.
Greg Dortch Looked Like a Roster Lock
Detroit signed Dortch as an unrestricted free agent in March, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing after the two spent three seasons together with the Arizona Cardinals. The Lions were clearly intrigued by Dortch’s ability to contribute both offensively and in the return game.
As recently as early August, the Lions’ official website described Dortch as having a “firm early grasp” on the No. 4 receiver job behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa.
Apparently, that grasp wasn’t firm enough.
Dortch brought legitimate NFL experience to Detroit. When the Lions signed him in March, he had appeared in 68 career games with 145 receptions for 1,310 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also had extensive experience returning both punts and kickoffs.
That combination made him an obvious candidate to help replace some of the versatility Detroit lost at receiver and returner.
What Does This Mean for Tay Martin?
The immediate beneficiary could be Tay Martin, who steadily improved his position throughout camp and made a serious push for a roster spot. We recently looked at how Martin was emerging in Detroit’s competition for the final receiver job.
Dortch had been included on our final 53-man roster projection, which tells you exactly how unexpected this move is.
Detroit also got a final look at its bubble receivers during Saturday’s 25-16 preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts, with several players making one last argument before decisions were finalized.
Now we know at least one of those decisions.
Greg Dortch is out.
And considering where he appeared to stand just a few weeks ago, this is easily the Lions’ biggest surprise of cutdown day so far.
