Head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have expressed how pleased they are with the quality and depth on this Detroit Lions team going into the 2026 season. However, that did not keep them from making a surprising decision when the roster was trimmed from 90 to 53 players on Sunday.
The most shocking move of all came when they released wide receiver Greg Dortch and left themselves with only four wideouts on their roster when every other team around the league has at least five.
Granted, their depth chart currently lists Kendrick Law as WR5, but the rookie out of Kentucky suffered a season-ending torn ACL during a non-contact drill at OTA practice and was placed on injured reserve.
As a result, the inexperienced Tay Martin, who only has three career catches for 72 yards and a TD, is currently penciled in as the team's WR4.
There is no sugarcoating that this move did not make sense, and Holmes did not exactly say anything on Wednesday to make the fan base feel any better about the decision in his first comments following the shocking release.
Lions could pay the price after letting Greg Dortch slip away
When asked about the release of Dortch, Holmes said that when you add competition, it "also entails harder decisions," per Lions beat writer Nolan Bianchi. Looking at everyone Dortch was pitted against for the WR4 spot, though, it is hard to make the case that someone else was more deserving of the position than Dortch.
Even Dortch himself was surprised by the Lions' decision to cut him, and rightfully so. The sixth-year wideout has 145 receptions for 1,310 yards and 10 TDs in his career, including one score on the ground. He also had a prior connection with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing dating back to his time with the Arizona Cardinals.
While Dortch was a consistent playmaker under Petzing with 90 catches for 828 yards and eight TDs during their three seasons together, he was also one of the better return specialists in the league. In his career, Dortch has 886 punt return yards and 1,773 kickoff return yards, so it is clear what Detroit gave up when they released him.
Now with Dortch on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, Detroit's depth will certainly be tested going into the season. While Jacob Saylors was solid in kick returns last season and will likely assume those duties once again, Dortch's departure creates a potential hole on punt returns that may be difficult to overcome.
Tom Kennedy was believed by many to be someone who would make the roster as the WR5 and a return specialist, but he will instead begin the season on the practice squad. Martin or Sione Vaki could also be in the running for the position when all is said and done, but despite their physical and athletic profiles, neither of them has experience as a punt returner.
If the Lions are not content with who they have got, they can still turn to the waiver wire and pursue any veteran options that remain. Regardless of what the WR room looks like come Week 1, though, this could easily be a decision that comes back to bite them, especially if the depth gets tested and the overall production is not there on offense.
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