The Detroit Lions have made another roster move ahead of training camp, signing former Tennessee Titans running back Jabari Small.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Lions have signed Jabari Small. The terms of the deal aren’t clear, but given Detroit’s strong running back depth, it’s likely a standard reserve/futures contract.
The 23-year-old Small played four seasons of college football for the Tennessee Volunteers before joining the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent last year. Small was waived before the regular season and assigned to their practice squad, but he never played a snap for the club.
Tennnessee signed Jabari Small again in January, only to waive him two weeks after the 2025 NFL Draft. The Titans’ RB room already includes 1,000-yard rusher Tony Pollard, the promising Tyjae Spears, Julius Chestnut and rookie Kalel Mullings.
The Lions already have the league’s best running back tandem in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who both posted over 1,000 yards of offense last year. They also have the seldom-used Craig Reynolds and sophomore Sione Vaki, who got six carries for 14 yards last year.
Detroit is coming off a franchise-best 15-2 record that culminated in a heartbreaking Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders. Dan Campbell’s group will kick off the 2025 season with a road clash against the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. EST).
Jabari Small Rushed For Over 2,000 Yards In College
Over his four seasons at Tennessee, Jabari Small rushed for 2,122 yards and 24 touchdowns to go along with 32 receptions for 247 yards and two scores. He had his best season in 2021, rushing for 796 yards and nine touchdowns.
Small faces a tall task of beating out other names on the Lions’ running back depth chart. But if he can showcase the explosiveness we saw at Tennessee, he might secure a spot as their No. 3 or 4 RB.
