Report: Lions to release offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz

The Detroit Lions must have their roster down to 75 players by 4 p.m ET on Tuesday. The Lions began that cut down on Monday morning when they told veteran offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz he would be released, according to Dave Birkett:

Schwartz was brought along to help add a veteran presence and some experienced depth to the Lions’ young, unreliable offensive line. But Schwartz turned out to be a tad unreliable himself, missing practices regularly due to injuries. He hadn’t played in the past two preseason games, which really could have helped his case to make the final roster, but either his injury was too much or the Lions had already made up their mind.

Detroit traded for Brandon Thomas on Sunday, making Schwartz’s roster spot even more expendable. With Schwartz now gone, the competition opens up for both Thomas and rookie Joe Dahl. Thomas won’t have much time to make his case, as only limited practice time and one preseason game remains.