Lions Part Ways With Veteran LB Who Spent 6 Seasons in Detroit
The Detroit Lions have started the process of whittling down their 90-man roster to 53, including a linebacker who spent six seasons with the team.
The Lions announced that they released linebacker Anthony Pittman, a local standout who had carved out a role on special teams. Though Pittman’s release was not seen as a surprise, it marked a new era for Detroit’s linebacking corps.
Lions Moving on From Longtime Linebacker
Pittman had first come to the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2019, spending most of his first two seasons on the practice squad before appearing in 17 games for each of the next three seasons. As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, Pittman had fallen down the depth chart this summer and was expected to be released.
“Pittman’s release was widely projected in most 53-man roster predictions,” Risdon wrote. “The Wayne State product was attempting to stick for a sixth season in Detroit, a tenure that began in 2019 as a feel-good story. He did have a brief sojourn in Jacksonville a year ago before the Lions brought Pittman back after the rash of defensive injuries.”
Risdon added that Pittman will not hit waivers and is now a free agent, which could clear the way for a return to the practice squad if the Lions choose to bring him back in some capacity.
“Known for his special teams ability more than anything on defense, Pittman clearly fell behind competitors like Zach Cunningham and Trevor Nowaske for the reserve LB roles,” Risdon wrote. “He is not subject to waivers, meaning Pittman is free to sign with any team at any time.”
Lions Happy With Roster Depth
Pittman was one of only a handful of players to remain with the team through the transition to head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes in 2021. The pair came together to rebuild the roster top-to-bottom and turn Detroit for a bottom-dweller in the NFC to a Super Bowl contender.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for final cuts, Campbell said he felt good about he level of talent across the roster heading into the 2025 season.
“I feel really good about that. Collectively, across the board, this looks pretty good,” Campbell said, via MLive.com. “Year five, this is the best we’ve felt about it, top to bottom. There are still holes, but every roster has holes. From where we’ve come, year after year, we’ve taken it to another level.
“That’s a credit to (Lions general manager) Brad (Holmes). He’s continued to elevate. The floor has really risen, and our baseline is pretty dang good right now. And that’s a good thing.”
Campbell added that there will be some difficult decisions ahead as the team makes the last cuts to get down to 53 players, with many factors going into those final considerations.
“We’ve got enough people that have an idea of who that person was, what their background was in college. Chances are, if it’s somebody we weren’t fired up about then, we’re probably not going to look at ‘em now,” Campbell said. “You do some legwork, but it’s really about the tape. Do we feel like they fit? Can we help them grow?”
