The Detroit Lions are reportedly parting ways with the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive player of 2023.
According to Justin Dunk of 3 Down Nation, the Detroit Lions are cutting defensive end Mathieu Betts .
Betts was an intriguing free agency signing by the Lions, as he is coming off a huge year in the Canadian Football League. For the BC Lions, he produced 18 sacks in 18 games, earning himself the honors of CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the 2023 season.
However, in Detroit it never seemed to come together. At first, the Lions tried to get him to play the EDGE/LB hybrid role at SAM linebacker. But coach Dan Campbell admitted midway through camp that it was a little too much for Betts, but they still liked his physical toolset.
“We had him working the SAM linebacker, he was still working some d-end, and so now we’re just kind of pulling back on him a little bit,” Campbell said three weeks ago. “We feel like he’s thinking a lot because we’ve thrown so much at him, so we want to dial it back. The kid is—man, he’s a crafty rusher, he’s good with his hands and, listen, it’s early. He’s improved. He’s made a ton of improvement, so we’ll see where it goes.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’s improved enough to make the 53-man roster.
With Betts and Mitchell Agude cut—and Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, and Josh Paschal essentially roster locks—the reserve EDGE roles appear to be down to James Houston and/or Isaac Ukwu.