Detroit Lions claim DT Bruce Hector off waivers

After the retirement of Brian Price, Detroit was quick to replace him with another defensive tackle.

Early Tuesday morning, on the eve of training camp, the Detroit Lions roster shrank by one when nose tackle Brian Price was moved to the reserve/retired list.

The Lions didn’t waste much time finding his replacement.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Detroit claimed defensive tackle, Bruce Hector, off of waivers from the Tennessee Titans.

Hector, an undrafted free agent from the University of South Florida, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. He logged just 82 snaps his rookie season and recorded four hurries and a sack playing in eight games for the Eagles. Hector was traded the next offseason by Philadelphia to Arizona but was waived before the start of the 2019 season.

Philadelphia picked Hector back up for the 2019 season where he spent most of his time on the team’s practice squad and appeared in just three games for the Eagles. Hector signed with the Carolina Panthers for the 2020 season, but appeared in no games, and signed with the Tennessee Titans before getting waived on July 26.

At 6-foot-2, 296 pounds, Hector fits the mold of a Lions’ 3-technique, likely slotting in behind Levi Onwuzurike, Da’Shawn Hand, Kevin Strong, and the currently suspended Jashon Cornell. He doesn’t bring much in run support, but he is a one-gapper who has some potential as a situational pass rusher. Obviously, things haven’t quite clicked for him yet but he’s stuck around the NFL because the potential is there, it just needs to be unlocked.

With the addition of Hector, the Lions roster currently sits at 89 as the team prepares to open training camp tomorrow, July 28.