When you have a roster as loaded with talent as the Detroit Lions do, you're going to have to make some tough decisions and cut some promising players. You'll often see other teams trip over themselves to try signing your castoffs for their own practice squads.
Daurice Fountain hasn't been so lucky. After spending all of the 2023 on Detroit's practice squad and being released as a training camp cut in August 2024, the 2018 fifth-round pick has remained unemployed for the entire season.
Receiving seemingly no interest in his services, even as a practice squad piece, doesn't seem to have done any damage to Fountain's confidence, however. A Kansas City Chief in 2021 and '22, the LIons castoff apparently thinks the AFC contenders should bring him back.
Somebody tell Veach to text me
— Daurice Fountain (@Reece_JMM) December 9, 2024
The first question this should make a Lions fan ponder is "if Fountain could be making an NFL comeback, were the Lions wrong to let him go?"
The answer to that is a pretty definitive "no." Fountain has only even managed to suit up for eight games (catching two passes) in the almost seven seasons since he was drafted. And at 28 years old he's really aged out of the "keep him around in case he develops and lives up to his potential" stage of his career.
And consider that it was a terrible preseason that made the Lions cut ties — his 54.2 receiving grade ranked 133rd among 159 WRs that PFF graded in the preseason. He had shown flashes in previous preseason through his career (he caught 7 passes for 116 yards in 2023), but playing this poorly in the only thing resembling game action he's ever seen for the Lions simply won't cut it.
Even though Detroit is thin on wide receiver depth, Fountain isn't a better practice squad option than either Donovan Peoples-Jones or Tom Kennedy.
Is there really a chance that the Chiefs come calling for him though? Also probably a firm no. The team absolutely lacks depth at wide receiver, but they have plenty on the practice squad right now (Justyn Ross, Tyquan Thornton and Montrell Washington) who would be significantly better options than Fountain if they were looking to shake things up.
Fountain was probably just making a lighthearted joke during the game, but it does highlight a bit of a sad reality — his stop in Detroit will likely prove to be the last of his NFL career. There's a chance he gets a training camp invite next summer, but going a full season without anyone even signing you to their practice squad is about as bad a sign as you can get for a wide receiver in what should be the prime years of his career.
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