There were a couple of safeties waived in the NFL on Tuesday who carry some level of intrigue with Detroit Lions fans. One of them is a hard “no”, but the other is someone GM Brad Holmes and the Lions should strongly consider claiming off waivers.
The hard no comes for former Raiders first-rounder Johnathan Abram. Las Vegas dumped the No. 25 overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft, who has consistently been one of the lowest-ranked defenders per Pro Football Focus his entire career. PFF grades can be somewhat debatable, but Abram’s atrocious coverage grades certainly pass the eye test. His missed tackle rate of 15.3 for his career is higher than that of Lions LB Alex Anzalone, not someone noted for his tackling prowess.
Terrell Burgess is a different story. Burgess was dumped by the Rams in the middle of his third season. He was a third-round pick in 2020 out of Utah. Holmes was the man running the Rams scouting department back in that draft cycle, his last before joining the Lions right after the 2020 campaign ended.
Burgess has not done much in the NFL. Injuries have been an issue, most notably a broken ankle that ended his rookie season after seven games. He started one game, the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Cowboys, and recorded nine tackles in the game. The Rams have a solid starting safety duo in Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott, blocking any real room for advancement or playing time.
With a contract that runs through 2023, Burgess would cost the Lions just under $1.1 million for next season and under $500,000 for the rest of 2022. While he’s not shown the third-round potential yet, the 23-year-old would be an inexpensive trial at a position where the Lions can use upgraded young depth. At minimum, Burgess is a better option than Brady Breeze to step up in case Ifeatu Melifonwu winds up on I.R. or is incapable of playing.
