Several days ago, Dan Campbell voiced his support for Quinton Dunbar and the “personal issues” he’s battling. Several days later, he’s gone.
The Detroit Lions announced they released the veteran cornerback on Thursday morning. And they’ve used the open spot to sign free agent running back Craig Reynolds.
At no point during Dunbar’s absence did the Lions mention the personal issues Dunbar was facing.
“He’s out with personal issues,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters earlier this week. “He’s communicating. We know where he’s at. We know what’s going on, and we’re thinking about him.”
Dunbar signed with the Lions on April 6th. And there was an expectation that he and Jeff Okudah would wind up the starters at cornerback heading into the season. Today’s news is an obvious monkey wrench in the Lions’ plans. With Dunbar’s release, Amani Oruwariye could win up in that role.
Quinton Dunbar spent the first five seasons of his NFL career playing for the Washington Football Team. Last season he played with the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s worth noting that Campbell is high on Mike Ford, who could challenge Oruwariye for that role. And while rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu has shown promise in training camp, he’s still a bit raw. It’ll take some time before he can become the contributor the Lions project him to be. Being plagued with depth issues in the secondary, the Lions also signed Nickell Robey-Coleman.
The signing of Reynolds lands the running back on his fourth team in the past two years. Before landing him, the Lions were thin a few bodies at running. D’Andre Swift and rookie Jermar Jefferson are nursing injuries. Additionally, they waived Michael Warren on Wednesday after signing running back Javon Leake.
The Detroit Lions face the Buffalo Bills on Friday at Ford Field to open the preseason. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Follow Kory Woods on Twitter at KoryEWoods.
