The Detroit Lions, like all NFL teams, have to trim the active roster from 85 to 80 players before 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 23. The deadline comes one week after the rosters were cut back to 85 from 90.
As noted last week, the Lions might not have to send five players packing this week. That’s because the rules for players on the physically unable to perform and non-football injury lists change this week.
Right now, players on the PUP and NFI lists count against the active roster. But the designations can now shift to “reserve” from “active” for the players. Switching the PUP/NFI players from active to reserve means they no longer count against the active roster limit. It also rules them out for at least the first four games, hence the reserve designation.
Two Lions players currently on PUP/NFI are obvious candidates to move to reserve status. Head coach Dan Campbell has already intimated the Lions will do this with first-round WR Jameson Williams. Defensive end Romeo Okwara doesn’t appear close to returning from his Achilles tear last year, either. Moving those two to the reserve list would mean the Lions have just three other players to jettison to get to 80.
Two other PUP players, FB Jason Cabinda and CB Jerry Jacobs, are also candidates to move to the reserve list. Campbell brought up the idea of doing such a move with Jacobs in a recent press conference. The fifth player eligible to move from PUP to reserve and miss the first four weeks is rookie DE Josh Paschal, who the team has been tight-lipped about in terms of a timetable to get back on the field.
If there are player cuts, the most likely candidates include CB Cedric Boswell, TE Derrick Deese Jr., OL Kevin Jarvis, CB Mark Gilbert and RB Jermar Jefferson. The Lions could also declare a winner in the kicking battle between Riley Patterson and Austin Seibert, though that seems less likely.
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