In an effort to be ready for their preseason matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, the Detroit Lions announced two further roster changes on Tuesday. With an injury designation, they waived linebacker DaRon Gilbert and signed cornerback Essang Bassey.

Campbell made a suggestion on Monday that Gilbert was recovering from an injury sustained during practice on Sunday.

“DaRon suffered harm yesterday. He had a minor adjustment, which is why the linebacker position is necessary; we need all the assistance we can get in that area, Campbell stated.

The Lions have added many linebackers in the last week to help with an injured room. Ty Summers, Abraham Beauplan, and Malik Jefferson have been added in the last several weeks. Malcolm Rodriguez and Jefferson are both recovering from injuries at the moment.

Gilbert, who played a few plays in the Lions’ preseason game against the Giants, is having a difficult time of it. On Wednesday, if he clears waivers, he will return to Detroit’s injured reserve list.

Regarding Bassey, he assists in bolstering the roster at another position plagued by injuries: cornerback. Emmanuel Moseley was lost by the Lions indefinitely last week due to a torn pectoral. Additionally, Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw sustained injuries on Monday that were not yet publicized. Bassey’s arrival doesn’t reveal much about their situation because, since Moseley’s injury, Detroit has been shorthanded at the nickel position for the majority of his career.

In 2020, Bassey was an undrafted rookie who played for the Broncos for slightly more than a year. During his debut season, he participated in 12 games, making three starts.

He has since been in and out of the Broncos and Chargers lineups. Having had an interception in each of the Broncos’ three preseason games last year, he was especially impressive:

RT if you've heard this before … @EBassey21 with another INT this preseason!

📺: 9NEWS pic.twitter.com/DaDanuurlQ

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 27, 2023

Even though he was included in Denver’s initial 53-man roster, Los Angeles eventually waived and claimed him. He appeared in 11 games for the Chargers last season, totaling 353 defensive snaps, according to PFF.

At just 26 years old, Bassey still has room to grow and contribute a wealth of experience to Detroit’s nickel cornerback position. He stands 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 190 pounds.

Pro Bowl QB Trade Proposal Involves Browns and Lions, Includes Draft Pick.

In the quarterback room, the Cleveland Browns are about to face a conundrum that isn’t your usual type of issue.

Cleveland will eventually only have room for three signal-callers despite having four quality players on its roster. For the second consecutive summer, that excess equates to a significant August trading asset.

Based on the performance of Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick and second-year quarterback, during training camp and the preseason, Tyler Huntley, a former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler, is the most likely candidate to switch outfits.

On Monday, August 12, Michael Lewis of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show said that, given their circumstances behind starting quarterback Jared Goff, the Detroit Lions would be a reasonable trade partner for Huntley.

Huntley is no lightweight. “I don’t think he’s going to win 10 games as a starter, but this is a guy who has demonstrated his ability to succeed in the NFL with a Pro Bowl on his resume,” Lewis remarked. “You’re telling me if you’re from Detroit, then. And you’re looking around and saying, “We’re going to have to rely on Nate Sudfeld all of a sudden? We’re one Jared Goff injury away from this team — that’s as talented as the Detroit Lions are this year, that was one or two plays away from making the Super Bowl last year?” Like, not a chance. Alright, so perhaps Tyler Huntley makes more sense.

Tyler Huntley’s trade value as of day three could rise.

Josh Dobbs, the quarterback, was traded to the Arizona Cardinals last summer for a fifth-round pick, which Huntley should receive in return.

Lewis recommended a seventh-round pick, or maybe a sixth. However, the right team in the wrong scenario would be prepared to pay more, such as a contender who loses its starter to injury or finds itself without any reliable backup quarterback.

Lewis went on, “[Huntley] is probably among the top 60 quarterbacks in the world right now.” And there’s going to be a team that decides, after evaluating their backup quarterback situation, that Tyler Huntley is superior.

Since the Browns don’t have to submit their 53-man roster until the end of August, there is no need for them to rush. Furthermore, Huntley’s trade worth will either remain its current level or rise over time, barring an injury.

Additionally, Huntley is only signed to a one-year contract worth $1.3 million, making him so inexpensive that any team with salary cap space may bring him into the lineup.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson Is Another Possible Browns Trade Candidate

Lewis also mentioned Thompson-Robinson as a potential trade prospect at the appropriate price.

Given that he is only in his second season and that Cleveland recently used one of its rare draft picks—albeit in the fifth round—on him, it is a tougher sell. On August 10, in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, Thompson-Robinson performed admirably as well, completing 14 of 18 passes for 134 yards.

“After glancing at it, I thought, ‘Tyler Huntley, you really don’t have this one,'” remarked Garrett Bush on Monday on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. “Thompson-Robinson was actually throwing a better football than Jameis Winston, to be honest.”

Huntley is a decent enough third-string option that, even if Thompson-Robinson outperformed him in the first preseason game, the Browns would likely need to accept the offer if a QB-needy team came calling with a third- or fourth-round selection in hand.

Deshaun Watson, the team’s starter, is entering his third season on a monster of a guaranteed contract and has only started 12 games in the past two seasons after missing 11 games in 2023 due to a shoulder injury. This is a crucial factor in all of this.

The Browns won’t have four quarterbacks in September, at least not these four, as none would last long on a practice squad. Instead, they will need to take into account the possibility that their third quarterback in 2024 will need to start many games. Watson’s injury history indicates that he will eventually be sidelined by either poor play or terrible luck, similar to what happened to Cleveland last year when they started five different quarterbacks before the playoffs started.