The Detroit Lions made another pair of roster moves Thursday, ending one veteran defender’s disappointing summer while giving another defensive back a late opportunity.
Detroit announced it has placed EDGE Payton Turner on Reserve/Injured and signed defensive back Eric Scott Jr.
For Scott, the move comes quickly. The Lions worked him out Tuesday along with cornerback Shaun Jolly, and two days later, Detroit decided it had seen enough to bring him aboard.
Turner’s Lions Opportunity Ends Before It Really Started
Detroit signed Turner in March hoping a fresh start could help unlock some of the talent that made him the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
It never really got going.
Turner participated in Detroit’s first training camp practice before a back injury sidelined him. He remained out for essentially the rest of camp, preventing him from entering what became one of the Lions’ deepest roster competitions.
The 6-foot-6 edge defender entered Detroit with 31 career appearances, 11 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and five sacks. The Lions had hoped his size and athleticism could provide another option behind Aidan Hutchinson and D.J. Wonnum.
We covered Turner’s signing in March, when his upside made him one of Detroit’s more intriguing low-risk additions. Instead, injuries followed him to his new team.
Eric Scott Gets His Shot
Scott, 27, gives Detroit another healthy body in a secondary that has been stretched thin late in camp.
The former Southern Miss cornerback was selected by Dallas in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He later spent the 2024 season on Kansas City’s practice squad and remained with the Chiefs into 2025.
Detroit worked Scott out Tuesday before signing him Thursday, giving him a very short runway before Saturday’s preseason finale against Indianapolis.
His chances of forcing his way onto the initial 53-man roster may be slim.
But with injuries piling up in the secondary and practice-squad decisions coming immediately after final cuts, this is hardly a meaningless audition.
Turner’s Lions opportunity is over before it ever truly began.
Scott’s is just getting started.
