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Detroit Lions: Brandon Pettigrew’s Roster Spot May Not Be In Doubt

By Zac Snyder

Dec 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew (87) gives five to strong safety Don Carey (26) before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Packers win 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew (87) gives five to strong safety Don Carey (26) before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Packers win 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brandon Pettigrew’s spot on the 2016 Detroit Lions has been discussed going back to last season but may not be in as much danger as many believe.

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn joined Jim Rome on CBS Sports Radio this afternoon  and while much of what he said was not particularly noteworthy, he did drop one name in an eyebrow raising way.

Rome asked Quinn about making up for the retirement of Calvin Johnson and Quinn predictable gave an answer indicating that it will take a team effort. OK, nothing to see there. But Quinn went on to name a host of players who will be counted on to help make up for Megatron’s production and included Brandon Pettigrew along with seven other more predictable names.

It could be taken as Quinn just rattling off a list of names but none of the other names have any real doubt about their roster status for 2016. That hasn’t commonly been the case for Pettigrew, however, as he has one of the team’s ten-highest cap numbers for the upcoming season and has seen his role in the offense diminish significantly.

Pettigrew has commonly been included in lists of players whose Lions days are numbered, including on this site, but perhaps that line of thinking has been off base.

The Lions are still thin at tight end, especially after Tim Wright suffered an ACL injury this offseason, and moving on from Pettigrew would only exacerbate that issue and force the team to rely one, possibly two, undrafted rookies to play a role in 2016.

Still, Pettigrew’s cap number is troubling given his expected role. The Lions have cap room to spare but it doesn’t make sense to burn cap dollars when excess cap space can be rolled over from year to year.

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It would seem that Pettigrew still needs to prove in training camp that he is not only healthy enough to contribute but able to do so at a level that eclipses the likes of Matthew Mulligan, Cole Wick and/or Ben McCord. However, it doesn’t sound like the Lions will be particularly motivated to replace Pettigrew in 2016.

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