What a heartbroken announcement the Lions coach made just now!

The Detroit Lions have finally filled the last open slot on their 90-man roster. On July 22, the team confirmed the signing of offensive lineman Ike Boettger via their official X (previously Twitter) account.

Aaron Wilson, an NFL insider, first reported the signing.

Boettger played two games for the Indianapolis Colts last year. But he’s spent the majority of his career with the Buffalo Bills.

Boettger appeared in 34 games for the Bills over his five-year tenure. He started 17 games, playing both guard and tackle.

Boettger’s acquisition means the Lions will have 90 players when training camp begins. The Lions have one free roster space after releasing kicker James Turner following the team’s summer workout program.

Lions Sign Offensive Lineman Ike Boettger.
Boettger, who played offensive guard and tackle at Iowa, began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent. He signed with the Bills after the 2018 NFL draft, however he was released before the start of the regular season.

Boettger later joined the Kansas City Chiefs, but his time there lasted only ten days. The Bills then signed Boettger and elevated him to the active roster.

The experienced offensive tackle has appeared in at least one game each season since then. He appeared in six games over his first two seasons, including four in his rookie season, before getting the opportunity to start in 2020.

However, Boettger has only appeared in three games during the last two seasons. He missed the majority of 2022 due to injury, and he did not make the Bills team out of training camp last year. The Colts cut Boetter from their practice squad on October 31, and he concluded the season as a free agent.

He appeared eight times on special teams with the Colts. He didn’t play any offense.

Boettger will add diverse experience to Detroit’s training camp. He played over 600 offensive snaps in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

However, in the last two years, Boettger has only played six offensive snaps.

Lions’ Offensive Line Depth Entering Training Camp
With the signing of Boettger, the Lions will have 17 offensive lineman on their 90-man roster as training camp begins. Detroit officially lists Boettger as a guard.

This season, the Lions will likely start at guard with veterans Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler. Boettger will most likely battle for a depth slot at guard alongside Kayode Awosika, Matt Farniok, Netane Muti, and Christian Mahogany.

It’s possible that Boettger will also play offensive tackle. However, the Lions’ starting tackles are also largely set, with Taylor Decker at left tackle and Penei Sewell, who recently signed a record-setting new contract, at right tackle.

The Lions’ depth at tackle includes Colby Sorsdal, Dan Skipper, Connor Galvin, and newcomer Giovanni Manu. Manu, however, is not one of the 17 offensive lineman on the team’s 90-man roster as camp begins. Manu is scheduled to enter training camp on the active/non-football injury list.

ESPN’s Eric Woodyard anticipated that the Lions would keep nine offensive linemen after training camp. Detroit had one of the top offensive lines last season. It’s anticipated to be one of the league’s strongest offensive lines again this autumn.

As a result, Boettger confronts a challenging task: making the team’s regular season roster.