Lions Poorly Time Release of Don Muhlbach

Detroit parted ways with Muhlbach, as part of its roster-trimming efforts. Tuesday marked the deadline for NFL franchises to cut their rosters down from 90 to 85 players. 

Campbell added, "Don was outstanding. Of course it was hard. But, as he's done his whole career, anybody that knows him, he handled it like a pro. He appreciated that we talked to him, we brought him up there, we sat with him for a while because we wanted this to be the best way that we could, or at least make it as good as you could under the circumstances.

"Of course he was disappointed. It's hard. It's all he's known. He's been a Detroit Lion for a long time. It's really part of him, so that's not easy. That's not easy to watch. I know it hurt. I know he wanted to talk to his wife and his family and kinda go from there."

In the grand scheme of things, moving on from Muhlbach isn't going to be detrimental to the Lions' 2021 roster. And, it was probably smart to give a younger long snapper like Daly -- only 27 years old -- a shot to prove his worth. Daly previously spent time in both the Alliance of American Football and the XFL. 

Yet, the optics of announcing the release of Muhlbach on his 40th birthday don't look great for the organization. 

The 80-man roster cutdown date is Tuesday, Aug. 24. Why not simply wait until then to cut ties with the longtime Lion? 

I know you can make the argument of why delay the inevitable, if you knew you were going to cut him during training camp anyways. 

However, there is something to be said about getting the timing right, and I don't think Campbell & Co. did with Muhlbach in this situation.