NFL Cuts: Detroit Lions Release Jerome Felton

I’m not exactly surprised.

You’ll be successful in an offense that uses fullbacks!

At least we’re releasing these guys who can possibly make other team’s 53 man roster early to give them a better chance. I liked Felton and I thought we could have used him but I think Heller will do a good job too when we need to use a FB

Best Morris Brown Harrison and Clapp wont be enough, Mayhew time. Would love to add Pierre Thomas or Anthony Dixon to the mix or a least a back with power.

I think dropping Felton, and any FB for that matter, will allow the Lions to use that roster spot for an “extra” RB or WR. I see 25 on offence [3 QB, 5 RB, 9 OL, 3 TE, 5 WR], and 25 on defence [4 DE, 5 DT, 6 LB, 5 CB, 5 S], and three special teamers [P, K, LS].

I think the tough decisions will be at LB [Hogue or Isiah] and OL [Culbreath or Thomas].

Has impressed me during this offseason/pre-season. I wouldn’t be against keeping four TEs on the roster if our TEs are going to be used more behind the line as run blockers and blitz pickups.

And thats all i have to say about that..

will be to switch Heller from TE to FB and back. Much like we are switching Sheffler from TE to slot WR.

If not him, then some other young TE. I think Finley is still eligible for the PS.

I see more playing time for Will Heller opening up. I think he’s a really good TE that could contribute more to FB than Felton. Not that Felton was bad, but if Heller is as versatile as the coaches think, then I’m all for it. Plus, he really showed his stuff in pre-season, so with both Scheff and Pettigrew already on the field for the two TE spots, why not throw in a talented player in Heller?

Thinking about a 2 TE set and having Best in the backfield, CJ as the WR, Heller as the full back. That could be kinda tricky.

I’m thinking the decision has been made on the10th release and it’s someone who’ll likely garner interest elsewhere/ The lions are probably trying to get a pick for him in the meantime.

A FB should know his role and be willing to block, not cry because he isn’t running the ball. Felton was not a good blocker for the TRUE RB’s on this team, so see ya.

Why waste a roster spot on a FB when you can have an extra TE. Versatile players are becoming a norm. Others may have done this, I dunno.

thats alot of practices to try to impress the coaches and he didn’t. Lousy blocker/subpar runner and receiver. Good luck to him wherever he ends up but this move was long overdue imo

   This move isn’t surprising at all. Heller and Clapp are better blockers and JJF has shown some promise. By cutting him now he can sign on somewhere else too.
   Now it’s time to move on from the Dwheelz experiment.

AND we use him as such! We’re not very good running the ball with 2 TEs as of now (or last year).

Good to let him go.

I think Felton is going to make us regret this.

I’m not sure if that is a new thought here or not, but it is original to me…lol

He played through some tough times with us but it was time for him to go. Apparently he doesn’t fit in with the new scheme. Can’t blame the FO or CS for that. They have made some pretty good decisions so far and the team looks good. Good luck to Felton.

You mean to tell me Felton gets cut, but Derrick Williams doesn’t?

and line up anyone of them in the backfield to get the match-up he wants, or he could line Best up wide and put 2 TE’s in the backfield for maximum protection against a blitzing team.

But if you ask me, the dilemma facing the Lions at WR is what cost Felton. Between Rashied Davis, Maurice Stovall, Derrick Williams, and Stefan Logan you simply have too much talent to cut when most of those guys can contribute more on special teams snaps alone than Felton ever would in a game.

Derrick Williams is a lock IMO, he is our most versatile and flexible depth guy, he can play X, Y, and Z and knows the playbook. Regardless of drops and how some guys may feel about him, from a coaches standpoint he is the guy you feel the most comfortable with putting out there when an injury occurs. He wins the positional value battle hands down. Not to mention that he still has some untapped upside potential.

Then you have Stovall and Davis batteling it out for the other “big man” role in our offense that Bryant Johnson failed to secure. We need another big man on the outside in the red zone. Basically someone to throw a back shoulder fade or jump ball to when Calvin is double or triple teamed. One of these guys will make our roster for sure, maybe both of them.

Then you have their special teams value. With the precise kicking of Jason Hanson and his ability to put hang time on the kick off it basically turns it into a coffin corner punt situation where elite gunners can change field position and the dynamic of the game. It would appear that the Lions will approach the new kick off rules in this manner and having the aforementioned elite gunners really makes that go a long way.

Perhaps hurting those guys is the fact that you have some line backers like Ekejiuba and Carpenter that can hold their own in that area as well, and even Derrick Williams is starting to show some ability there.

Then you have Stefan Logan whom I generally consider a running back more than a receiver. But he will make the roster, no doubt. He is just too much of a weapon and IMO he can integrate into our offense in a much more versatile and useful role than Devin Hester does in Chicago. Think Percy Harvin when you think about the kind of role Stefan will, and should have in our offense, wish more of a running and less of a receiving slant on that role.

So with Calvin Johnson, Nate Burlesson, Titus Young, Derrick Williams, Rashied Davis and Maurice Stovall you already have six valuable and, in my opinion worthy of the 53 man roster, wide receivers.

Then you add in Logan, if you consider him as a running back that almost guaranteeing we will keep 4 running backs if not 5. Jahvid Best and Maurice Morris are sure bets, though I suppose in a surprise move we could see them part ways with Maurice if someone better becomes available (Chester Taylor, Lonyae Miller, etc.). However the better bet would be to keep Maurice and ride it out a year and make that cut next year when Mikel Leshoure comes back allowing them to fight it out for the “other than Jahvid” role in our backfield.

As I mentioned Stefan is as sure of a lock as you can get. Stacked up against Aaron Brown and Jerome Harrison they all have a similar positional value as “receiving backs” However Logan has special teams value as both a returner and gunner that is through the roof compared to those other guys. Which leaves Aaron Brown versus Jerome Harrison for that last spot if they keep 4 backs. I am giving the nod Brown. He has more speed, more potential, and IMO is not lesser than Harrison in any way.

However the Lions could keep 6 receivers and 5 backs and short change in another area such as Linebacker. Should an injury arise they can manage to get guys like Caleb Campbell (I think he has 1 year left of P. S. eligibility), and Doug Hogue off the practice squad to develop.

I know a lot of guys think that we will not P. S. Hogue, I am not so sure. Right now he is a developmental project and he would be a liability to any team out there as a starter. If someone were to poach him then they would have to keep him on their 53 all year. Fortunately for us, I do not see too many teams that have the luxury of doing that. Even the bad teams like Carolina and the Rams have a good line backing corps. Remember that our 3-4th LBer (Carpenter) was picked up off waivers just last year. I would be surprised to see anyone going after any LBer we choose to practice squad. Heck even Ashleee Palmer and Isiah Ekejiuba were picked up off waivers.

Granted that one mans trash is another mans treasure, and that definitely can hold true in the NFL. However the quality of depth for the Lions at line backer is not quite there yet if you ask me. While I like our starting 3 now and feel that we do have two quality back ups in Durant, Carpenter, Palmer (depending on who you view as our last starter and first two back ups), I still feel that our last line backer positions leave a lot to be desired if forced into starting roles. From Ekejiuba to Campbell to Hogue to whoever else you want to name, they all have flaws in their game as a starter and some of those guys are fast approaching the age where there is little or no upside left to achieve.

I guess my point is this, when you are considering the special teams value of depth players on the roster like Stovall, Davies, Ekejiuba they all wash out as about equal, yet the receivers seem to have more value on the positional value and help to make us a stronger team overall.

By no means does this mean the Lions will P. S. Hogue, or cut Ekejiuba, nor does it mean that Stovall and Davis are locks for the 53 man roster. What it does mean is that it is feasible in my mind for it to happen and that no matter what we think, no matter how much we think we know, the coaches will likely never be in lockstep with fan based opinion on the bottom of the depth chart. There is just too much that goes on that we do not see, either because we do not have the exposure to the players and film they do, or because we do not have the eyes that are trained to see what their eyes see. No matter what the best even the most educated of us fans can manage is a guessing game as to the real process of hows, whys, and what will be in the actual process of determining roster cuts.

I didn’t expect Felton to get released, at least this soon. But, as others have pointed out, I can see what they are trying to achieve. He had some decent plays here in Detroit. Good luck to ya Jerome.