Anthony Pittman
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Anthony Pittman celebrates a play against the Bears for the Lions in 2021.
The Detroit Lions parted ways with a veteran linebacker just days after elevating him from the practice squad for the season opener.
The team announced this week that they signed offensive tackle Devin Cochran and linebacker Monty Rice to the practice squad, making room for the additions by releasing linebacker Anthony Pittman. The Lions had just brought Pittman up for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, but now he must find a new NFL home.
Lions Making Practice Squad Changes
As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, the team had already parted ways with Pittman at final roster cutdown day and brought him back to the practice squad. The team had enough faith in him to use an elevation and dress him for Sunday’s game.
“To make room for the new additions, the Lions released veteran LB Anthony Pittman from the practice squad,” Risdon wrote. “Pittman had been a practice squad elevation for Sunday’s Week 1 loss in Green Bay and was set to revert to the practice squad, but the Lions released him instead. He played exclusively on special teams, which has been Pittman’s customary role over the last few seasons in Detroit. The team previously released Pittman at the roster cutdown deadline.”
The 28-year-old Pittman came into the NFL with the Lions in 2019 and appeared in 56 games for the franchise over the next seven seasons. He has been mostly a special teams player, making 32 total tackles in that time.
The Lions could have a replacement in Rice, a former third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. Rice has appeared in 38 career games, making 129 total tackles.
Cochran can also provide some much-needed depth to an offensive line hit by injuries already this season. Lions tackle Taylor Decker missed practice on Wednesday with a shoulder injury and could be in danger of missing the Week 2 game against the Bears.
Lions Face Another Challenge on Defense
After struggling to contain quarterback Jordan Love in last week’s loss to the Packers, the Lions will face another talented signal-caller in Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said his team needs to do a good job of keeping him in the pocket.
“It’s a heightened emphasis if you watched the Monday night game,” Sheppard said. “Caleb was outstanding, he extended a lot of drives, he put points on the board, he gave his team an opportunity to win last year via his ability to escape the pocket and run. We’re very aware of that and we’ll have a plan for it.”
While Love threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions last week, Sheppard said his team did a good job of limiting his damage on the ground.
“I want to give credit to our guys of not letting this guy out of the pocket,” Sheppard said. “That’s things that we’ve struggled with in years past. Jordan Love has burned us in years past with his legs. He had one run, I think, for four yards. So, I want to look at the positives in that.”