Detroit Lions

Lions Release Andrew Quarless...Why?

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:30 a.m. ET

foxsports

Andrew Quarless (81), now an ex-Lion. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

In an interesting move on a Monday after the team suffered several key injuries, the Detroit Lions released tight end Andrew Quarless.

Quarless was signed late in the preseason as the Lions faced a spate of injury issues at tight end. The former Green Bay Packer missed the first two weeks on a league suspension for a violation of the personal conduct policy.

This is a curious decision. Cole Wick missed Sunday’s loss to Tennessee, leaving the Detroit Lions with newly acquired Khari Lee and receiving specialist Orson Charles as the backups behind Eric Ebron.

Lee played 20 snaps on Sunday and did not fare well in his blocking assignments,

Charles did not play on offense, only seeing action on special teams.

Andrew Quarless is primarily noted as a blocking tight end from his days with the Packers and also his college career at Penn State. Given Lee’s inadequacies and Wick’s iffy health status, not to mention blocking issues of his own, this move certainly raises some eyebrows.

Because he was on suspension and not the 53-man roster, no corresponding roster move is necessary.

My interpretation

This one puzzles me. Lee underwhelmed in his role, and Quarless has a decent track record of being a capable blocker. Given the growing injury issues around the team, having a healthy veteran sure seems like a prudent move.

The timing is also odd. Detroit and Green Bay play this week. Think Andrew Quarless might have had some extra motivation to show up his old team?

It’s easy to speculate he’s the odd man out because the team needs injury replacements at other positions. Yet why not keep Quarless and dump Charles or Lee? Knowing Jim Caldwell and his non-answer answers, we’ll probably never learn the real reason why the Lions let go of Andrew Quarless without him ever taking the field.