Detroit Lions one of eight teams to put claim in on John Cominsky

The Detroit Lions basically aren’t going to be usurped on the waiver wire, but apparently John Cominsky was quite popular after the Falcons waived him.

With the second waiver claim priority, thanks to having the second-worst record in the league last season, the Detroit Lions were awarded defensive end John Cominsky on Tuesday. Their corresponding move was to cut kicker Aldrick Rosas.

Cominsky is more potential that production with three NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons under his belt. But apparently he was quiet popular after being waived last week.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Lions were one of eight teams to put a waiver claim in on Cominsky. Per Yates, the other teams to put in a claim were the Houston Texans, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

From now until Week 3 of the 2022 season, when the priority will reset, only the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14 last season) will have higher waiver wire priority than the Lions.

Why was John Cominsky so popular on the waiver wire?

Coming out of Division II University of Charleston in 2019, that Cominsky even got drafted is notable. And Atlanta made him a top-150 overall pick in the fourth round (No. 135). He played 23 games in his first two seasons as a Falcon, then a coaching and scheme change in 2021 led to him only playing four games last season. Of his 511 career defensive snaps, 398 came during the 2020 season. He has 1.5 career sacks, with one start.

Cominsky stood out during the 2019 pre-draft process for his athletic testing, which led to him registering a 9.42 Relative Athletic Score (RAS). At 285 pounds, he can play defensive end or defensive tackle. As the Lions shift to using more four-man defensive fronts, he looks like a fit for that in a broad sense.

Add athletic traits and potential to an affordable contract to assume off waivers, as he will make $965,000 this year in the final year of his rookie deal, and in late-May it’s not too surprising Cominsky landed on the radar of literally a quarter of the league when he was waived.