Today is NFL cutdown day and teams are releasing players as they work towards building their 53-man rosters by 4:00 pm EST.
We at Lions Wire currently have a cut tracker that is updating with moves made by the Lions as they happen and this article will be tracking notable moves from across the NFL.
Currently, the Lions sit third overall in the claims process and if they put in a claim for a released player, they only need the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Football Team to pass on said player for him to become a Lion. The Lions have been active on the waiver wire in recent years, most notably claiming Romeo Okwara, who has been a fixture on the defensive line under coach Matt Patricia.
Here is a list of players that the Lions may be interested in putting a waiver claim in on.
Adrian Peterson, RB (Washington)
The Lions have been banged up at running back through training camp and are looking for a power back to challenge Bo Scarbrough. Peterson has a history of working with Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell from 2007 through the 2010 seasons — Peterson’s first four in the NFL — and he ran for 5,782 yards in those four seasons. Granted that was over a decade ago, but the good feelings may still be there, and Peterson rushed for 898 and 1,042 yards in the last two seasons.
Josh Rosen, QB (Dolphins)
The former 10th overall pick from the 2018 draft has had a rough start to his NFL career. After starting 14 challenging games for the Cardinals his rookie year, he was shipped off to Miami after Arizona drafted Kyler Murray 1st overall in 2019. His stint in Miami wasn’t much better as he failed to beat out Ryan Fitzpatrick and then the Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 draft.
Hakeem Butler, WR (Cardinals)
Butler was a fourth-round selection (103rd overall) in the 2019 draft and never found his groove in coach Kliff Kingsbury’s four-receiver set scheme. He spent his rookie year on the injured reserve and after a bad 2020 training camp, the Cardinals cut bait. Someone is going to claim him, but with a loaded receiving corps, it may not be the Lions.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S (Cowboys)
The former Alabama safety will fit the Lions scheme, but the 2016 Pro Bowler struggled in Dallas and went from expected starter to free agent in six months. If the problem was scheme fit, Detroit could offer him a solution.