According to a report from NFL insider Chris Mortensen, the NFL’s 80-man roster deadline will be August 16, before padded practices begin. This would mean the Detroit Lions, and the rest of the teams in the league would have to cut 10 players off their current 90-man roster by that date.
But Mortensen added that teams will be allowed to keep their 90-man roster if they go with a “split-squad” setup and that some teams have plans to do this and use stadium and regular practice facilities to make this happen.
For the Lions, this would mean utilizing their practice facilities in Allen Park and Ford Field to accommodate the 90-man split-squad roster.
BONUS CONTENT:
Michael Fulmer’s comeback start with Tigers is aligning with a special day in Detroit
It has been a long road back for Detroit Tigers SP Michael Fulmer, who has gone nearly 2 years without pitching against hitters from another team.
But on Wednesday, Fulmer took the mound for the Tigers in a Summer Training game against the Cincinnati Reds, and now he is lined up perfectly to make his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery. That start looks like it will come on what is an unofficial holiday in Detroit.
Opening Day.
Though Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire would not confirm that Fulmer will be starting the Tigers home opener on Monday against the Kansas City Royals, he did not deny it either.
“We like it,” Gardenhire said after Wednesday’s game. “We’re not going to announce our plans to the world so they know what’s coming, so I’m not going to tell you exactly what’s going to happen. That could happen, but we’re not guaranteeing it.”
Regardless of when Fulmer makes his comeback start, it will be an emotional day and we wish him the best of luck.
