The Detroit Lions' official 53-man roster, released on Sunday night, might still be in flux.
The deadline to claim players who have been waived up until this point is 1pm EST on Monday, at which time, teams will be awarded players based on their place in the waiver order. Multiple teams can put in a waiver claim on one player, but their success all depends on where they fall on the order.
Detroit could be placing waiver claims on multiple players ahead of this afternoon, but are also likely waiting to see if one key player they cut yesterday - cornerback Nick Whiteside - clears waivers for a return to the teams' practice squad. It's how they operated with Tom Kennedy for years, and likely how they wish to move with a solid depth piece like Whiteside.
So, how does the waiver wire work? Which players that were cut by the Lions yesterday are landing on the wire? And, where do the Lions fall in the waiver order?
Waiver wire information ahead of NFL's afternoon deadline
The waiver wire is where players with less than four years of service time land after being cut by their respective teams following training camp and the preseason. This is why Whiteside qualifies for the wire, but not wide receiver Greg Dortch, who is simply a free agent following Detroit's release of him.
The following Lions players landed on the waiver wire after the team submitted their official 53-man roster to the league:
- QB Luke Altmyer
- WR Tarik Black
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe
- DB Aamaris Brown
- OL Devin Cochran
- CB Bump Cooper Jr.
- WR Malik Cunningham
- TE Thomas Gordon
- OL Gus Hartwig
- TE Zach Horton
- LB Erick Hunter
- S Dan Jackson
- WR Lucky Jackson
- WR Dominic Lovett
- EDGE Anthony Lucas
- G Mason Miller
- G Melvin Priestly
- CB Eric Scott Jr.
- DL Chris Smith
- OL Colby Sorsdal
- S Jason Taylor II
- DL Tyre West
- CB Nick Whiteside
- RB Roydell Williams
Michael Niese, a potential backup center for the Lions headed into this season, was waived with an injury designation.
READ MORE: Detroit Lions final 53-man roster hands major opportunities to rookies
The waiver order is based on this past April's draft order, but without any trades, so the Lions are 17th on the waiver order for this year. With 53 roster spots filled by the Lions, they would need to release some players in order to make room for anyone they actually get awarded through this process.
But, it feels safe to assume they may be seeking to release some players regardless as a means of fitting Dortch back into the picture, and once they see whoever else they've landed through this process. Whiteside hopefully goes through waivers and ends up landing back with Detroit on their practice squad.
Other names to watch for the Lions to try and bring back to the practice squad include Mason Miller, Luke Altmyer, Tyre West, Lucky Jackson, Dominic Lovett, and Dan Jackson.
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