Tuesday, August 31st is a big day on the NFL calendar. All NFL teams must reduce their rosters to just 53 players by 4 p.m. ET. For the Detroit Lions, it’s the middle of a maelstrom of activity for new GM Brad Holmes and his staff.
The roster cutdown began on Monday when the Lions waived several players, including injured offensive linemen Tyrell Crosby and Dan Skipper. Many more cuts are needed to get to the 53-man limit.
That deadline is just the first of several important times to know this week, however.
Wednesday, Sept. 1, 4 p.m. – waiver claim period ends
All players who were cut via waivers are eligible to be claimed by another team. The waived player claim period ends 24 hours to the second after the initial 53-man deadline.
Expect the Lions to be quite active in claiming players off waivers. Head coach Dan Campbell declared they will be, after all.
In general, players who have less than four full years of NFL experience are subject to waivers. All of the Lions who were cut on Monday are subject to waiver claims except WR Breshad Perriman, who is able to sign anywhere else right away.
The waiver claim order is the same as the selection order (prior to trades) from the 2021 NFL draft. Detroit sits seventh in line. If none of the teams slotted above the Lions claim a player and the Lions did place a claim, he’s theirs.
Of course, claiming a player means the Lions would have to create a place on the 53-man roster by either cutting another player (waivers or release) or placing a player on injured reserve.
Remember, players placed on I.R. prior to the Tuesday 4 p.m. deadline are out for the season. Players placed on the I.R. after the initial 53-man roster deadline can be brought back to the active roster after missing a minimum of just three weeks. For the Lions, DE Da’Shawn Hand and QB Tim Boyle are obvious candidates to get moved to I.R. after making the initial 53.
Practice squad can be formed – Wed. 4 p.m. ET
While any waiver claims are being processed and added to the roster, the Lions are also able to build the 16-player practice squad. All players unclaimed on waivers are eligible, including those from other teams. Just because a player was with the Lions in the preseason, it does not commit them to being on Detroit’s practice squad.
Of the 16 spots, up to six can be used on players with more than two accrued NFL seasons. The others must have less than two full years of NFL experience.
Thursday, Sept. 2nd, 4 p.m. ET – Waiver claim period No. 2 ends
The players who get waived by Wednesday’s deadline are also eligible to be claimed by another team. Teams have until Thursday at 4 p.m. to claim those players.
The Lions have some positive history in making claims here. Romeo Okwara came to Detroit after being claimed off waivers from the New York Giants following the initial claim period.