The Detroit Lions made four roster moves following 2025 rookie mini-camp.
The Detroit Lions roster is officially up to 90 players. On Monday, the team announced they had signed three players who were at rookie minicamp as tryout players over the weekend, releasing another. Tight end Luke Deal, wide receiver Malik Taylor, and defensive lineman Raequan Williams are all now officially part of the team. In order to make room for those players, the Lions waived undrafted rookie tight end Caden Prieskorn.
Deal, a 2025 rookie, had spent the last six years at Auburn University, playing a program-record 64 games with the Tigers. Serving as the captain in both 2023 and 2024, Deal’s primary role in college was as a blocker. At 6-foot-5, 259 pounds, he quickly becomes the biggest tight end on the roster. Last year in college, he earned a 79.5 pass blocking grade, good for seventh-best in the country.
Taylor comes from Ferris State University but has been in the NFL since 2019. He went undrafted and spent time with the Buccaneers, Packers, and Jets. He’s made 28 career game appearances, catching nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. His most active season was in 2020, where he played in 15 games, started one, and found the field for 166 offensive snaps and 210 on special teams. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, and with 4.46 speed, Taylor is a veteran WR-X option for Detroit.
Williams, too, is an NFL veteran. A former Michigan State Spartan, Williams went undrafted in 2020 and spent time with the Eagles, Jaguars, and Panthers—playing in seven games total. Williams is 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, and most of his playing experience is at defensive tackle.
