The Detroit Lions announced they have signed a corner with starting slot experience to their roster.
The Detroit Lions announced they have signed nickel corner, Rachad Wildgoose ahead of their third and final preseason game of the 2024 offseason.
Wildgoose played his college football at Wisconsin and was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills . He was released at cutdowns and signed to the practice squad, but it wasn’t long before the New York Jets poached him and signed him to their active roster. He would go on to play in five games and total three tackles during his rookie season.
The following training camp, the Jets released Wildgoose at cutdowns and the Washington Commanders claimed him off waivers for their 2022 season. He would go on to appear in 15 games, including starting three as a nickel corner. He was given a one-year contract extension in 2023 but was once again released at cutdowns.
Instead of playing football in 2023, Wildgoose elected to pursue a career as a YouTuber , where he ran a YouTube channel that focused on short-form videos covering a variety of topics.
Despite announcing a career change, Wildgoose wasn’t quite done with football yet. In July, he elected to sign with the UFL Birmingham Stallions for their upcoming 2025 season. He began taking tryouts with NFL teams during training camp, before eventually landing in Detroit on Wednesday.
The Lions are trying to make it to the offseason finish line with their roster as intact and healthy as possible. Practices have been geared toward the starters getting reps in preparation for the regular season, while the reserves and bubble players have been told they will get a chance to compete in the final preseason game.
While Wildgoose will have an incredibly difficult time trying to make the 53-man roster with only one practice and potentially one game appearance, he will get the opportunity to make his case for a role on the practice squad, which could lead to bigger options. He will most likely be in direct competition with last year’s UDFA corner Steven Gilmore, as well as recently signed Essang Bassey and Javelin Guidry for a potential practice squad role.