Dan Campbell explains why Detroit Lions have one open spot on 90-man roster
The Detroit Lions have been one player under the NFL's 90-man roster limit for going on two months, and Dan Campbell said the team is holding that spot open for no one in particular.
"Really just so if something happens and we need a spot now; that was the reasoning behind it," Campbell said. "So we didn’t have to go through, 'Oh, who are we cutting now before we decide we’re going to bring somebody else in?' It just gave us flexibility to do an immediate move, we felt like."
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The Lions have been at 89 players since about the time they hosted free agent running back Todd Gurley on a visit.
Gurley remains a free agent, with no immediate timetable to sign, and the Lions recently moved safety Godwin Igwebuike to running back for added depth at the position.
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NFL teams have until Aug. 17 to get down to 85 players. Rosters must be reduced to 80 by Aug. 24, and teams must be at the 53-man limit by Aug. 31.
The Lions activated receiver Javon McKinley from the nonfootball injury list before practice Thursday.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions activate Javon McKinely from nonfootball injury list
