Former Detroit Lions draft pick Quintez Cephus has landed back on the free agent market after getting cut by the Los Angeles Rams just weeks before training camp was set to begin.
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Cephus, who was looking to land on a team's roster in earnest for the first time since 2022, has been struggling to stick since getting selected by Detroit back in 2020. The former 5th round pick had a promising rookie season playing alongside Matthew Stafford, going for 349 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 35 targets.
However, his career was fairly derailed by both injuries and his involvement with other Lions players in a gambling investigation which landed him on the league's suspension list for the 2023 season. While another player that was in that same investigation, Jameson Williams, bounced back from the punishment, Cephus was unable to do so.
Cephus is a very solid receiver who was clearly looking to recreate magic with his former quarterback, Stafford, who is the Rams' current starter. However, Los Angeles made the hard decision to cut him prior to beginning training camp next month. The Rams are looking to dominate the NFC West this year behind their key acquisition of WR Davante Adams.
Former Lions pick cut by Rams
Cephus being suspended indefinitely by the league really hampered his ability to return to football action after serving his time for violating the league's gambling policies. While Williams was suspended for a finite amount of time - four games - Cephus had no timeline for a return. As a result, the Lions cut him and C.J. Moore as a result of the investigation.
Minicamp is tough to get through if you're not already an established piece of a team's core. Cephus had major promise after his rookie season as a legitimate WR3 for Detroit, but through multiple coaching changes and a more no-nonsense approach to the team's culture, he was unfortunately a casualty.
There's plenty of time for the Lions "bust" to land with another squad, though. Injuries tend to plague teams throughout the offseason as minicamp and training camp ramps up in intensity, and he'd be a solid addition to a teams' wide receiving depth for the preseason. Hopefully, he's able to stick as the NFL never got a chance to see him in a consistent role beyond that flash in a pan rookie year.
