Lions release Detroit native from practice squad, sign 6-foot-7 lineman
The Detroit Lions have released Detroit native and former Wayne State linebacker Anthony Pittman from the practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday.
Pittman, 28, was in his second stint with the Lions this season after he was initially signed by the organization in 2019 after he went undrafted.
He spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad before debuting late in the season against the Green Bay Packers. Pittman would go on to play 51 games for the Lions over the next three seasons, playing a sporadic role on defense and a regular on special teams.
Brief stints with the Washington Commanders and Jacksonville Jaguars preceded his return to Detroit late last season after being signed off the Jaguars’ practice squad.
After missing the Lions’ initial 53-man roster, Pittman was elevated from the practice squad ahead of the team’s Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers and he played 21 snaps on special teams for Detroit.
In response to Pittman’s release, the Lions announced the additions of O-lineman Devin Cochran and linebacker Monty Rice to their practice squad.
Rice, 26, joins the Lions after being a victim of a late roster cut by the New England Patriots. He made an appearance in one game for the Patriots last season.
The former third-round NFL Draft pick in 2021 spent three seasons with the Tennessee Titans to begin his career, playing in 35 games and amassing 128 total tackles. However, injuries kept him off the field quite a lot before he was eventually waived by the Titans in 2023.
He had stints with the New Orleans Saints on their active roster and the Atlanta Falcons on their practice squad, but never played in a game for either.
Cochran, 27, was recently waived by the Cincinnati Bengals as part of their final cuts after three seasons with the organization.
The 6-foot-7 O-lineman went undrafted in 2022 out of Georgia Tech but caught on with the Bengals’ practice squad for the entire year. A trip to the injured list took away his 2023 season.
He returned in 2024 with the Cincinnati practice squad before finally making his NFL debut in Week 9 of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. Cochran was primarily used as a special teams contributor, before taking on significant snaps at both tackle spots from Week 15-17.
Following a season-ending injury to veteran O-lineman Jamarco Jones, Cochran should help add back some depth to the Lions’ offensive line.
Celtics fans would riot if they traded for the newest name on the trade block
The Boston Celtics are this summer's prime example of a team trading players it values because of constraints imposed by an unforgiving collective bargaining agreement.
After consecutive campaigns over the second apron, the franchise parted with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. They also lost Luke Kornet to the San Antonio Spurs in free agency. When Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency gets settled, the Golden State Warriors could quickly sign Al Horford.
However, Boston could now benefit from another team that's working to shed salary. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Philadelphia 76ers are motivated to trade at least one, if not both, Kelly Oubre and Andre Drummond. The reason is to create enough space to re-sign restricted free agent Quentin Grimes while staying under the first apron.
"There has been buzz all summer long about the Sixers looking to potentially move one of, if not both, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre," reports Fischer. "If they are able to find a deal for one of those two guys as we get closer to camp, that would open up some more wiggle room for Philadelphia to be able to pay Grimes a little bit more."
If that's true, the Celtics could swoop in and acquire either individual at a low cost.
Should the Celtics trade for Andre Drummond?
Oubre is the better of these two players, certainly in the opinion of this author. However, Boston has plenty of wings. Furthermore, most of them are younger prospects with a chance to prove themselves. With Jayson Tatum rehabbing a torn Achilles and title contention seemingly on pause, they should get that opportunity.
Seeing who can capitalize and carve out their place in the NBA is one of the most productive uses of this season. Players like Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and offseason signing Josh Minott all have a chance to prove they're capable of becoming multi-year contributors. Scheierman seems like the safest bet and most entrenched among that trio.
There's also rookie Hugo Gonzalez. The first-round pick is raw. He must adapt to a dramatically different and faster style of play than in the ACB. However, the Celtics were wise to take a home run swing with the 28th overall selection. Now they should afford him opportunities to play through those growing pains.
Adding Oubre to an already crowded mix is a suboptimal way to fill the Celtics' final roster spot. It's an unnecessary avenue to raising the team's tax bill. The depth chart at center makes acquiring Drummond more reasonable.
Behind Neemias Queta, who impressed at EuroBasket, and Luka Garza are Xavier Tillman Sr., Chris Boucher, and Amari Williams. As previously explored, Tillman could deliver a bounce-back season and prove last year was an outlier. However, it also may have been the start of a rapid decline for an undersized big man who has dealt with knee injuries.
Boucher is best when operating at the four in double-big lineups. Still, he allows Joe Mazzulla to deploy small-ball lineups with him at center that could overcome concerns on defense and on the boards with a potent offensive attack.
Williams enters the Association on a two-way deal. His skill set is intriguing. However, the rookie's game is raw. He figures to spend most of his time developing in the G League.
Bringing Drummond into the fold is justifiable. The Celtics could find a role for him despite only being a scoring threat around the basket. The six-foot-11 center is coming off a campaign where he averaged 7.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks. That production came in 18.8 minutes of playing time across 40 appearances with the 76ers.
The former UConn Huskies star is still a capable contributor at 32 years old. However, parting with draft capital, no matter how heavily protected that second-round pick is, seems like a poor use of that asset.
Even if Drummond were a free agent, Boston is probably better off maximizing luxury tax savings, or at least searching for a younger player more likely to help beyond this season.
If Drummond's on the trade block, it won't take much for the Celtics to acquire him. Still, if they're going to put more resources into their 2025-26 roster, there are better uses of them than going in this direction.
