Detroit Lions waive three players before start of rookie minicamp

Ahead of rookie minicamp this weekend, the Detroit Lion have waived three players.

The Detroit Lions will ramp up their offseason work a bit with rookie minicamp this weekend, May 12-14. While it seems they had room to sign all their reported undrafted rookie signings without letting anyone go, on Tuesday the team announced defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor, wide receiver Stanley Berryhill and cornerback Mac McCain have been waived.

Taylor made the Lions’ 53-man roster out of training camp as an undrafted rookie last year. He played in one game, 13 snaps against the New England Patriots, before being waived and spending the rest of the season on the practice squad.

Berryhill is the headliner of this group as one of four Lions, headlined by Jameson Williams, suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy last month. He, like Williams, received a six-game suspension. He bounced between the practice squad and the active roster last year, playing mostly special teams in the four games he suited up in.

Berryhill was firmly on the roster bubble, and the six-game suspension probably sealed him being let go by the Lions at some point. Wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore, who both received indefinite suspensions for their violations of the gambling policy, were cut by the Lions right after the news about the suspensions came.

McCain was signed in February, and he is gone before taking part in an official practice with the Lions.

Detroit Lions churn back end of offseason roster before rookie minicamp

Ultimately, Taylor was well-liked but he was just not an ideal fit for the Lions’ defensive line from a size standpoint. Berryhill, all due respect, was an inconsequential player who landed in the news for a wrong reason. And McCain was an early offseason flier, pushed aside by the additions the Lions made to the secondary in free agency.

All three, particularly Berryhill and McCain, are not surprise cuts by the Lions. Now, they can try to land elsewhere as offseason work around the league gets going this month.