Lions sign 11 undrafted free agents, release eight players

The Detroit Lions have officially announced the signing of 11 undrafted free agents. There were lots of rumors after the draft ended about which undrafted free agents might be headed to Detroit, but now we know that the following 11 players have joined the roster:

• QB James Franklin (Missouri)
• FB Chad Abram (Florida State)
• WR Andrew Peacock (Appalachian State)
• TE Jacob Maxwell (Louisiana-Lafayette)
• OT Cornelius Lucas (Kansas State)
• OG D.J. Morrell (Old Dominion)
• OG Alex Bullard (Tennessee)
• LB Justin Jackson (Wake Forest)
• CB Mohammed Seisay (Nebraska)
  
• S Gabe Lynn (Oklahoma)
• S Jerome Couplin (William & Mary)

To make room for these new additions to the roster, the Lions released the following eight players:

• WR Carlin Isles
• WR Cody Wilson
• TE Matt Veldman
• C Sherman Carter
• LB Jon Morgan
  
• CB Nate Ness
• S Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
• K John Potter

Most of these guys were just camp bodies, but it is notable that the Lions released Carlin Isles, who has been playing rugby over in Scotland. It's also notable that the Lions have released kicker John Potter. This means that seventh-round draft pick Nate Freese will compete for the starting kicker job with Giorgio Tavecchio.