Tag: Lions roster moves

Detroit Lions roster cutdown deadline tracker

Detroit Lions roster cutdown deadline tracker ahead of Tuesday’s 53-man limit

The Detroit Lions must reduce the roster down to the 53-man limit before the deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27th. It’s a tough time with a quick turnaround from the final preseason game.

The Lions haven’t made any official transactions yet, but several moves are already reported as of Monday evening.

Most notable among those is the reported release of wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. He and fellow WR Kaden Davis were the first two cuts to leak out.

We will keep posting reported cuts as we find them. Keep in mind they are unofficial unless posted by the Lions themselves.

No real surprise with either Zylstra or Knight, though Zylstra did have some legit potential to stick as a receiving TE.

We have our first surprise with Mitchell Agude, who was the only backup to Derrick Barnes at the SAM position.

This one comes directly sourced: The Lions are releasing LB Ty Summers.

Also confirmed by me via a team source: Hogan Hatten has won the long snapper battle and the Lions are releasing LS Scott Daly. Hatten keeps the streak of undrafted rookies making the initial 53-man roster rolling to 14 years.

Last year’s UDFA to make it, Steven Gilmore, did not make the cut in 2024.

The biggest surprise thus far…

Beauplan led the Lions in tackles in the preseason win over the Chiefs:

Numerous sources have also reported the Lions are cutting WR Daurice Fountain, who was the leading candidate for the No. 4 WR spot after the first week of training camp.

CFL star Mathieu Betts fell short of making the team.

And now, the official list from the Lions:

NFL Waiver Wire: Rules and where the Lions sit at roster cutdowns

NFL Waiver Wire: Rules and where the Detroit Lions sit as the roster cutdown deadline approaches

The NFL gets very busy this week, with all 32 teams trimming their rosters from a maximum of 90 for the preseason down to 53 players by Tuesday, August 27th at 4 p.m. ET. Some teams have already started their cuts, notably the Cincinnati Bengals, after their final preseason games.

All the players flooding the market at the same basic time can be difficult to sort through. Here’s what you need to know for the Lions.

Waived vs. Released

First off is the difference between being waived and being released. Being “cut” is a more generic term, but teams are actually either waiving or releasing a player.

Vested NFL veterans, those with at least four qualifying seasons, are released. That transaction ends their contract and they are unrestricted free agents, able to sign with any team without any compensation due back to the team that released them. They’re also free to sign back with the same team, either on the active roster or practice squad, once that can be established at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Detroit released Dan Skipper last season at the deadline, knowing the veteran was not going to go anywhere else before the team could bring him back.

Any player with less than four years of accrued NFL service time is waived. That means they are subject to waiver wire claims. Every other team is free to place a waiver claim on the player.

Last year, 24 players who were waived got claimed by another team. That includes cornerback Starling Thomas, who was waived by the Lions and claimed by the Cardinals. Current Lions CB Kindle Vildor was also a waiver wire claim after roster cutdowns last year, moving from the Bears to the Titans. In 2023, 33 players were claimed.

Waiver claims

The waiver claim order is pretty straightforward. It’s the exact same as the 2024 NFL Draft order before any trades. The Carolina Panthers have the No. 1 spot by earning the top pick in the 2024 draft; that the Panthers traded the pick to the Bears doesn’t matter in the waiver process.

Detroit has the No. 29 spot in the waiver claim order. If any of the 28 teams ahead of the Lions place a claim on a player that the Lions also claim, Detroit loses out. Those waiver claims are processed at noon on Wednesday.

Any player claimed must remain on the active 53-man roster for a minimum of four weeks. It also requires the team claiming a player to make another roster move to create a spot on its 53-man roster. This is how the Lions picked up Romeo Okwara several years ago; Okwara was on the Giants’ initial 53-man roster, then got waived when New York claimed a player. The Lions then claimed Okwara and waived Anthony Zettel.

Injured players

The NFL adopted a rule change in 2024 that allows two players to be placed on the injured reserve list before the roster cutdowns and still be designated to return during the season. In the past, if a player went on I.R. at the roster cutdown deadline, he was out for the season. They must miss a minimum of four games.

Detroit has players who might fit this bill in DL John Cominsky and CB Emmanuel Moseley. Without knowing the severity of his injury, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu could also be a candidate here.

In addition, the Lions have defensive lineman DJ Reader and rookie offensive lineman Christian Mahogany on non-football injury/illness lists. If they’re not officially activated before the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline, they have to remain inactive for four weeks. If they are activated, they do count against the 53-man roster limit even if they’re not healthy enough to play right away.

Lions roster moves: Craig Reynolds re-signed, Julian Okwara to I.R.

The Lions re-sign RB Craig Reynolds and place EDGE Julian Okwara on I.R. following the roster cutdowns

The initial 53-man roster for the Detroit Lions only had two running backs on it. That lack of depth didn’t last long, as the team has re-signed RB Craig Reynolds to the active roster.

Reynolds was released on Tuesday at the roster cutdown deadline. The veteran reserve was not subject to waiver wire claims, which made him a good candidate to cut and then safely bring back once the waiver claims around the league were processed. This is a procedural maneuver that NFL teams are increasingly utilizing.

The corresponding move for signing Reynolds is another that was a calculated one by the Lions. Detroit placed EDGE Julian Okwara on injured reserve. Okwara left the preseason finale with an injury and did not return. He will miss at least the first four weeks.

Had the Lions placed Okwara on I.R. prior to the roster cutdown, he would have been out for the entire season. By doing this now, the fourth-year LB is eligible to be activated from I.R. after Week 4.

Lions sign S Scott Nelson, waive injured RB Mohamed Ibrahim

Lions sign safety Scott Nelson and waive injured RB Mohamed Ibrahim

Days after preseason contests are always busy with transactions, and Sunday is no exception. A day after losing the second exhibition game to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Detroit Lions signed safety Scott Nelson to the active roster.

Nelson is in his second NFL season, spending 2022 primarily on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad, He originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Nelson played collegiately at Wisconsin. He’s a Detroit native and a graduate of Jesuit High School.

To make room for Nelson, the Lions waived running back Mohamed Ibrahim with an injury designation. Ibrahim, an undrafted rookie from Minnesota, has been sidelined with an injury and lost the early momentum to make the roster he established in minicamp.

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Lions to release rookie WR Kalil Pimpleton

Pimpleton showed some potential as a slot receiver and return specialist early in training camp

The Detroit Lions are parting ways with one of their most intriguing members of the undrafted rookie class. Detroit will waive wide receiver and return specialist Kalil Pimpleton in the roster cutdown from 80 to 53 players.

Pimpleton showed some real vitality as a nifty and speedy receiving option out of the slot. He earned some high reps early in camp as both a punt return and kick return option, but the arrival of former USFL standout Maurice Alexander effectively ended Pimpleton’s chances of sticking strictly as a return man.

The Central Michigan grad from Muskegon caught nine passes for 69 yards in the three preseason games. Pimpleton also had a costly dropped pass in the finale vs. Pittsburgh. The 5-foot-9 dynamo could return on the Lions’ practice squad.

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Lions sign RB Justin Jackson

Lions sign free agent RB Justin Jackson and placed rookie WR on the reserve/retired list

It’s been pretty quiet on the personnel front for the Detroit Lions, but we do have a roster move following Monday’s practice session.

The Lions have signed free agent running back Justin Jackson. The 26-year-old Jackson spent his first four seasons with the Chargers. He was a college teammate at Northwestern of fellow Lions RB Godwin Igwebuike, who played safety until last season.

Jackson has rushed for 1,040 yards and four TDs in 43 career games. He also caught 65 passes while serving as the No. 2 back for the Chargers.

The Lions placed undrafted rookie wide receiver Corey Sutton on the reserve/retired list to make room on the roster for Jackson.

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Predicting the first 5 cuts for the Lions after the preseason opener

The Lions have until Tuesday afternoon to cut 5 players. Here are the most likely candidates.

The NFL has brought back the concept of having multiple roster cutdown days this preseason. The current 90-man roster whittles down to just 85 by August 17th, shortly after the first weekend of preseason action.

That gives head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions until Tuesday to figure out which five players no longer belong with the team. Based on what I’ve seen in Lions camp and what everyone saw in the preseason opener, a tough loss to the Buffalo Bills on Friday night, here are the five players most likely to get cut.

Some of the cuts depend on the philosophy of the Lions. Does the new regime loaded with ex-players as coaches do a favor for veterans who aren’t going to make the final roster and cut them now, so they can find a new team with some time to actually make something of the opportunity? Will they hold onto raw youngsters whose destiny is an aspirational spot on the practice squad, or do they place more value on favoring more likely 2021 contributors?

Injuries and depth across position groups also matter. The Lions aren’t likely to waive any running backs in the first wave simply because they need the healthy bodies to take reps in practices with D’Andre Swift and Jermar Jefferson slowed with minor injuries.

Because it’s a new regime and we haven’t seen how they handle those philosophical debates, it’s hard to project the five who will be cut. But there’s a very good chance the quintet will come from the following eight players:

  • Evan Boehm, guard/center
  • Alex Brown, cornerback
  • Miles Brown, defensive tackle
  • Scott Daly, long snapper
  • P.J. Johnson, defensive tackle
  • Damion Ratley, wide receiver
  • Charlie Taumoepeau, tight end
  • Hunter Thedford, tight end

Any injuries would obviously supersede cuts, and that includes Boehm, who left the Bills game with an apparent knee injury.

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