The Detroit Lions can't afford to roll the dice on players who haven't shown they're worthy of a roster spot. With a bounce-back season looming large, Dan Campbell's team must make some big roster-related decisions soon.
Notably, that might be terrible news for Giovanni Manu, someone who entered the league as a highly polarizing pick but hasn't done anything to prove the doubters wrong. So far, he's been just a wasted draft selection.
The Lions have reportedly given him some reps at guard this offseason, showing that they don't see the upside at tackle anymore. As such, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see him not making it past July.
Lions must pull the plug on the Giovanni Manu experiment
Manu entered the league as a physically intriguing but extremely raw prospect. He played college football in Canada and was a rather unknown prospect at the time. Then, injuries and inconsistent play also took a toll on his development.
The Lions lost Taylor Decker this offseason, and that could've technically given him a fair shot at getting more reps at tackle. Instead, they signed Larry Borom and drafted Blake Miller, once again relegating him to third-string duties.
The mere fact that the team chose to move Penei Sewell from right to left tackle and used a first-round pick on another tackle speaks volumes about how they truly feel about Manu. It was a bad pick at the time, and he hasn't done anything to flip the narrative around.
With just 53 roster spots and a big need to bounce back, the Lions simply can't keep waiting and being patient with him. He might still have a future in the league, but he should've been someone else's problem by now. It's not like they would be on the hook for a ton of money if they parted ways with him anyway.
The Lions' offense should bounce back with Drew Petzing at the helm, and keeping Jared Goff out of harm's way will be paramount for that. As such, they can't trust a third-string prospect from the University of British Columbia to figure things out overnight.
Injuries are the worst part of the game, but this is a business first and foremost. It's not personal, but availability is the best ability, and players who haven't shown signs of progress shouldn't keep getting the benefit of the doubt from a Super Bowl-contending team.
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