Detroit Lions: Final 53-man roster cuts tracker

The Detroit Lions are trimming down their roster to just 53 players between now and Saturday afternoon. We’ll update those cuts below.

This is always a bittersweet time for NFL fans. The Detroit Lions, along with every other team in the league, are required to trim their bloated 90-man rosters down to just 53 players by Saturday afternoon, leaving over 1,000 professional football players unemployed.

News of these cuts usually start to trickle in a day or two before. Therefore, we’ll try our best to document those cuts below as the news is released and provide you with the source of that information.

For the Lions, there are several players considered to be on the fringe of making the active roster. And their performances throughout the offseason, OTA’s minicamp, training camp and the preseason will all be used as part of the evaluation process.

And once the Lions shave down their roster to the final 53, there is actually nothing final about it. As players hit the open market and the waiver wire, Detroit will likely find opportunities to improve their team. But before they can sign anyone new, they’ll have to release a player as well.

Below you’ll find the Lions players who have been or will be reportedly cut, released to free agency, sent to the waiver wire or traded.

Reported Roster Cuts by the Detroit Lions

Sterling Moore, Cornerback – Source
Brian Brown, Wide Receiver – Source
Jamar McGloster, Offensive Lineman – Source
Jeremiah Valoaga, Defensive End – Source
Josh Fatu, Defensive Tackle – Source
Marcus Lucas, Tight End – Source
Chad Meredith, Linebacker – Source
John Montelus, Guard – Source
Teo Redding, Wide Receiver – Source
Christian Ringo, Defensive End – Source
Cam Johnson, Defensive End – Source
Dexter McDougle, Defensive Back – Source
Marcus Cromartie, Defensive Back (Injured Reserve) – Source
Corey Robinson, Offensive Tackle (Trade) – Source
Chris Lacy, Wide Receiver – Source
DeShawn Shead, Cornerback – Source
Jake Rudock, Quarterback – Source
Mike Ford, Cornerback – Source
Jace Billingsley, Wide Receiver – Source
Wesley Johnson, Center – Source
Zach Zenner, Running Back (Injured Reserve) – Source
Dwayne Washington, Running Back – Source
Rolan Milligan, Safety – Source
Chris Jones, Cornerback – Source
Freddie Bishop, Linebacker – Source
Sean McGrath, Tight End – Source
Dontez Ford, Wide Receiver – Source
Alex Barrett, Defensive End – Source
Jonathan Freeny, Linebacker – Source
Jeremiah Ledbetter, Defensive End – Source
Darnell Sankey, Linebacker – Source
Ryan Santos, Kicker – Source
Dan Skipper, Offensive Tackle – Source
Andy Jones, Wide Receiver (PUP List) – Source
Toby Johnson, Defensie Tackle – Source

We’ll be updating this post throughout the next two days, so be sure to keep checking back to see if anyone new has been added to the growing list.

The Detroit Lions will kick off their regular season on Monday night, September 10, 2018, at 7:10 p.m. ET against the New York Jets at Ford Field. The game will air on ESPN. For the Jets, it appears rookie quarterback Sam Darnold is the likely starter under center following the recent trade of Teddy Bridgewater to the New Orleans Saints. Last season, the Jets finished the year going 5-11, losing six of their last seven games.