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Lions release Burton to make room for Asiata

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 23: Michael Burton #46 of the Detroit Lions watches the action on the sidelines during the third quarter of the game against the Washington Redskins at Ford Field on October 23, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit defeated Washington 20-17. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

  • As reported by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Lions have released fullback Michael Burton to make room for newly signed running back Matt Asiata.
  • Burton was a fifth-round draft pick in 2015 by the Lions former general manager Martin Mayhew. The Lions clearly valued the position less this past season as Burton only saw the field for 95 offensive snaps despite being the only fullback on the roster, down from 244 in 2015.
  • Burton has performed well so far in his career, earning the third-highest grade among fullbacks in 2015 at 80.6. While he didn’t play enough snaps to qualify for a rank in 2016, his 79.3 overall grade was similar to his rookie season.

Michael Burton

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