Josh Paschal is getting another shot. The former Lions second-round pick spent Tuesday at the Cleveland Browns’ veteran minicamp, trying to prove he still belongs in this league after Detroit cut him loose this offseason.
Paschal was one of 11 veteran players auditioning during the Browns’ three-day voluntary minicamp. It’s his first known opportunity since the Lions waived him, and honestly, good for him.
The Brad Holmes Era’s First Second-Round Miss
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Paschal is the first second-round pick of the Brad Holmes era to get cut by the team. That stings a little, doesn’t it?
His Detroit story reads like too many Lions stories from the past. Injuries derailed what looked promising on paper. He managed 10 games as a rookie, 12 in 2023, and 14 in 2024. Then came the back injury that wiped out his entire 2025 season, even when he briefly returned to practice.
The numbers tell the story of what could have been. Over four years in Honolulu Blue, Paschal appeared in 36 games with 18 starts. He tallied 62 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, and two fumble recoveries. Not terrible, but not what you want from a second-round investment either.
A Cheap Option Detroit Passed On
Here’s the kicker: because Paschal missed all of 2025, his final year actually tolled over to 2026. Detroit could have kept him another season on a relatively cheap deal. They chose not to.
That tells you everything about how the organization viewed his future contribution. When a team with Super Bowl aspirations won’t even keep a former second-round pick on a discount deal, the writing is on the wall.
Look, Paschal was always easy to root for. College captain. Inspirational story after his battle with cancer. The kind of guy you want to see succeed. It’s a damn shame it didn’t work out at Allen Park, but that’s football.
Is cutting a former second-rounder after four injury-plagued seasons just smart roster management, or does it sting a little knowing we whiffed on another early pick? Drop your take below.
Look, I get the frustration but this is the right move. We’re legit contenders now and can’t afford to carry injured players hoping they get back to form. Paschal seems like a great dude but Holmes did what he had to do to keep this team sharp.
So we waste a second rounder and then just cut him loose when the injury toll gets too high? This is what happens when you don’t draft well. The Browns probably won’t do anything with him either but at least they’re not the ones who wasted the pick.
Man, back in the day we would’ve held onto a guy like this for years just hoping something clicked. Times are different now I guess when you actually have real playoff hopes, you can’t afford those experiments. Part of me misses the loyalty even if it never worked out.
Paschal always seemed like the kind of guy who had heart but just couldn’t stay healthy. Sometimes it’s nobody’s fault, the body just doesn’t cooperate. Wish him well in Cleveland, he deserves another shot somewhere.