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Lions swap out quarterbacks

The Detroit Lions made a minor change at quarterback on Friday.

Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions made an adjustment to the bottom of their roster on Friday by claiming quarterback Garrett Gilbert off waivers, according to Howard Balzer. Quarterback Anthony Boone was waived to make room for him.

Gilbert was just let go by the New England Patriots, which ended up adding Matt Flynn at quarterback. Gilbert entered the NFL last year as a sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams, and he ended up on their practice squad after not making the 53-man roster. He later joined the Patriots' practice squad near the end of the 2014 season, and he was on their roster this offseason until he was released this week.

Boone exits the Lions after signing with them as an undrafted free agent out of Duke earlier this offseason. Boone was always an extreme long shot for the 53-man roster, and even making the practice squad seemed like a tall task given how few reps the Lions' No. 4 quarterback typically gets.

Gilbert is basically in the same position at quarterback. Perhaps he could do enough to make the practice squad, but realistically, that's probably his best-case scenario. Barring an injury, it's highly unlikely that he will jump Dan Orlovsky or Kellen Moore for one of the backup spots at quarterback.