3 Detroit Lions who won’t be on the roster by Week 1

2. Detroit Lions roster cut: WR Damion Ratley

Ratley was well-traveled last season. First, he was waived by the Cleveland Browns and signed by the New York Giants. After playing five games for New York (with four catches for 63 yards) he was cut and signed by the Houston Texans, where he spent the rest of the season on the practice squad.

After he was let go by the Texans this offseason, the Lions took a flier on Ratley as they rebuilt their wide receiver depth chart. Other moves were of course made, in free agency, the draft and even after the draft with the signings of undrafted free agents Sage Surratt and Jonathan Adams. So Ratley was and is obviously going to be battling for a roster spot, and there’s plenty of competition.

Ratley could find a way to stick with the Lions as a special teamer, whereas some others he’s competing with seem unlikely to add that value. But it’s looking like a pure numbers game for how many wide receivers the Lions will keep, with some guys locked in (Tyrell Williams, Breshad Perriman, Amon-Ra St. Brown) and others having more upside than he does.

Ratley doesn’t seem long for the Lions’ roster, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s let go during this slower period before training camp. He may even ask to be let go, so he can get a full chance during someone else’s camp and preseason without having to pick up mid-stream.