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As training camp progressed over the last few weeks, wide receiver Mike Thomas became more and more of a long shot to actually make the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster. On Monday, the Lions officially closed the door on the possibility of that happening by releasing him, according to Dave Birkett.
Thomas joined the Lions during the 2012 season after he was traded by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Lions sent a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft to Jacksonville in exchange for Thomas, who recorded only 5 catches for 28 yards and a touchdown in nine games for the Lions last season.
Going into the offseason, the hope was that with more time to learn the playbook, Thomas would step up and become a bigger part of the Lions' offense. That just never ended up happening, though, and that trade was quite bad for the Lions as a result. Not only did they give up a fifth-round pick, but they still owe Thomas $1 million, according to Birkett.
At this point, guys like Patrick Edwards, Kris Durham, Matt Willis and Terrence Austin are among the favorites to make the 53-man roster at the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart. I suppose it's also possible that the Lions could bring in someone from the outside to add to the competition at this position now that they have an open roster spot. (And on that note, it's worth mentioning that the Jaguars released wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who played with Matthew Stafford at Georgia, on Monday.)