​Last week I wrote about Detroit Lions players who could fly under the radar and earn a roster spot. This week, let’s flip the lens and examine the opposite: players entering training camp with a spot on the 53-man roster that could be revoked with a disappointingcamp. Sometimes a new acquisition just doesn’t gel with the rest of the team. Sometimes a returning player runs out of chances to leave a meaningful impression. Sometimes, a player simply gets outperformed by his teammates at the same position. In the NFL, it’s not uncommon for offseason expectations to fall short. The Lions’ most conspicuous example of this over the years was the ill-fated Breshad Perriman signing in 2021. As part of the club’s rebuild, the thought was that Perriman would start at receiver. Instead, the former first-round pick underwhelmed and was ultimately released. If you had told someone in March 2021 that Perriman would be cut by August, you’d have received a surprise. That’s the nature of training camp projections: they can crumble in a hurry.
Today’s Question of the Day is: My answer: Juice Scruggs. Oddly enough, this one proved tougher to answer than I expected. Players like Giovanni Manu, Dominic Lovett, or Mekhi Wingo would be disappointing to see cut, but not shocking. Players like Trevor Nowaske or Khalil Dorsey look like solid bets to make the roster, yet they’re primarily special-teamers and could just as easily be cut without raising too many eyebrows. Players like Skyler Gill-Howard or Tyre West benefit from Brad Holmes’ reluctance to cut rookies, but they’re late-round picks and very much on the roster bubble. Striking the right balance between a cut that would feel out of the blue and one that would be a plausible possibility is delicate.
The only name that truly comes to mind is Scruggs. Acquired in the David Montgomery trade, Scruggs’ stint with the Houston Texans left a lot to be desired. In Detroit, he sits as a top reserve at center and possibly at guard as well—given how frequently injuries occur in the NFL, that reserve role will almost certainly be called upon at some point this season. He impressed during OTAs, and by all accounts, the coaching staff appears high on his potential—he wasn’t simply a throw-in as part of the Montgomery deal. Still, he’s a backup with a fairly unimpressive starter resume. The Texans have fielded a bottom-tier offensive line for years, and their willingness to move on from Scruggs despite that could be seen as evidence of their lack of faith in the former second-round pick. The Lions may be high on him now, but history reminds us it wouldn’t be unprecedented for a castoff to be brought in during the offseason and fail to impress in the preseason.
This is also a year in which Detroit has an unexpectedly deep interior line. Christian Mahogany is the leading candidate to start at left guard, yet that still leaves Miles Frazier, Ben Bartch, and Scruggs as the reserve options. There is also a real possibility that Giova—though there’s more to polish for better SEO—could factor in. In short, Scruggs stands out as a realistic candidate for a roster squeeze if he doesn’t seize the opportunity in camp and preseason.