The Detroit Lions still have a few days before the start of training camp, but the team is already starting to trim the roster.
The Lions announced on July 19 that they cut ties with undrafted rookie running back Anthony Tyus III, who was once seen as a strong candidate to earn a spot on the team. As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire reported, the Lions waived Tyus with a non-football injury designation.
Anthony Tyus Showed Promise in Early Practices
Though he went undrafted after a strong final season at Ohio University, Tyus impressed the Lions enough to earn a contract in free agency. As Risdon reported, he had some strong performances at the team’s practices in the spring and appeared to be on track to find some place on the depth chart, even if his journey started on the practice squad.
“He had impressed during rookie minicamp and OTA sessions with his hard-charging running style and soft hands in the passing game. He was expected to compete for a practice squad role as a UDFA,” Risdon wrote.
As Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website noted, Tyus burst onto the NFL radar after a strong final collegiate season. Though Tyus amassed just 504 total rushing yards and 81 receiving yards in his first three seasons at Northwestern, he broke out after transferring to Ohio.
“Tyus rushed for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt and 93.5 yards per game this past season,” Twentyman wrote. “Additionally, he caught 16 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.”
The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy suggested that Tyus’s rushing style could give him an advantage with the Lions.
“He’s another bigger back (4.59 40) at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, but he can move when he picks up a head of steam and was reliable in pass pro,” Pouncy wrote. “The Lions are always looking for steady practice-squad running backs.”
Another Lions Running Back Could Benefit
Tyus’s unexpected release could bring an opportunity for another rookie running back to earn a spot with the Lions. SI.com’s Vito Chirco predicted that the team’s final spot on the depth chart for the backfield would come down to Tyus and Kye Robichaux.
Chirco expected Tyus to beat out Robichaux for that final roster spot.
“As for Robichaux, he spent his first two seasons at Western Kentucky followed by his final two at Boston College. In his final campaign with the Eagles, he recorded 744 yards and 10 touchdowns on 175 carries,” Chirco wrote. “At this present juncture, I believe that Tyus is ahead of Robichaux on the team’s RB depth chart.”
SI.com’s Emmett Matasovsky had some big expectations for the 5-foot-11, 209-pound running back, writing that Robichaux “packs a punch for his size” and could be utilized in short-yardage situations for the Lions.
“This segways into his next strength, his ability to finish at the goal line,” he wrote. “Robichaux scored six of his seven touchdowns in 2023 came from inside the five-yard line. Robichaux was an excellent short yardage option, and that was his role with the Eagles in both of his seasons.”
