The Detroit Lions attempted to add a defensive lineman to the mix on Monday when they tried to claim former Second-round pick Phidarian Mathis on the waiver wire.
Mathis was ultimately claimed by the Jets, but this is a name to keep an eye on for the Lions in the future for multiple reasons.
The first one is that Mathis is someone Lions GM Brad Holmes got to see up close and personal on multiple occasions. The first one is when the Liosn actually coached Mathis in the 2022 Senior Bowl. Something Holmes was on hand for that entire week. The Lions’ entire coaching staff was there too.
Holmes also attended the Alabama pro-day that year to Jameson Williams. We also know that Holmes pays a lot of attention to Alabama guys in the draft.
Mathis was selected in the second-round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders and things never really quite gelled there for him and the Commanders waived him earlier this week. He’ll likely play out the season with the Jets and then he could be a free agent again in March. Keep an eye on this name. The Lions might try to get him again. He could be a project for Terrell Williams in the near future.