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Throughout the NFL season, teams bring in groups of players at certain positions each week for workouts. Sometimes these workouts produce immediate signings, but more often than not it's just a matter of teams doing their due diligence in case injuries happen down the road.
These types of workouts don't just take place during the regular season, though, as evidenced by what the Detroit Lions are doing on Tuesday. We learned on Monday that the Lions are planning to host wide receivers Brad Smith and Robert Meachem for a Tuesday workout, and it turns out that running backs Ben Tate and Daniel Thomas will also take part in the workout.
Source: RB Ben Tate has a flight scheduled this evening to head to Detroit for a workout with the #Lions Tuesday.
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 8, 2015
Lions are working out veteran running back Daniel Thomas on Tuesday, according to a source
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) June 8, 2015
Tate made a name for himself with the Houston Texans from 2011-13, but he quickly fizzled out after only eight games with the Cleveland Browns last year. He actually ended up in Minnesota with the Vikings for three games before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers for the playoffs. He hasn't found a new team for 2015 just yet, though.
Thomas also hasn't found a new team just yet after playing for the Miami Dolphins for the last four seasons. In 2014, he carried the ball only 44 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns, and he averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. Amazingly, that was actually a career high for Thomas, who averaged 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry in the three prior seasons.
Given the nature of the workout that is set to take place on Tuesday, it's entirely possible that no immediate signings will come out of it. Like during the regular season, the Lions may just be taking a look at players in case injuries happen down the road. On the flip side, perhaps the Lions are looking to add some competition at positions like running back and wide receiver for training camp, in which case a roster spot or two could be on the line on Tuesday.