During their break following the first week of training camp, the Detroit Lions announced the release of cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver.
Thomas-Oliver joined the Lions late in the 2024 season, signing with the practice squad in December. He later appeared in both the final regular season game and the Divisional Round of the playoffs, primarily contributing on special teams and logging a pair of defensive snaps in the postseason.
Training camp, however, didn’t go smoothly for him. He began camp on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list and missed the opening three practices. When he did return to action, aiming to secure a backup role in the secondary, his comeback was cut short. He suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday’s session and was unable to continue, according to team reports.
This release is likely classified as an injury-related transaction. Should an injury settlement be reached between Thomas-Oliver and the Lions, he would be restricted from rejoining the team until the agreed recovery time passes, plus an extra three weeks. For instance, if the injury is projected to require four weeks of recovery, Detroit wouldn’t be able to re-sign him for seven weeks. Other NFL teams would only need to wait for the original four-week period.
As of now, Detroit has not added anyone in his place, leaving one open spot on their 90-man roster.
