Road to 53: Detroit Lions’ 2026 cut tracker

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NFL teams are required to reduce their offseason rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. on Sunday. By the end of this weekend, more than 1,000 players will be cut/waived across the league.

Released players with fewer than four years experience will be placed on waivers, where they can be claimed by another team. Typically waivers is 24 hours, but it’s slightly shorter following cutdown day, with teams having until 1 p.m. Monday to put in claims.

In cases where multiple teams put a claim on the same player, waiver priority will be based on the 2026 draft order. After claims have been awarded on Monday, teams can begin piecing together their 16-man practice squads.

As news breaks regarding the Detroit Lions’ roster decisions throughout Sunday, this post will be chronologically updated. Newest updates will be just below this intro text.

Finally, there will be a running roster tracker at the bottom of the post as the Lions work their way to a 53-man roster. Check back throughout the day for updates.

In the meantime, you can read our final roster projection following Saturday’s preseason finale.

6:27 p.m.— Wide receiver Tay Martin, who received praise for his special teams contributions on multiple occasions, is making the initial roster, according to the Detroit News.

6:22 p.m. — Brian Branch will also stay on PUP to start the season, according to the Detroit Free Press.

6:09 p.m. — The Lions are cutting running back Trayveon Williams and waiving quarterback Luke Altmyer, according to separate reports.

6:02 p.m. — The Lions are waiving defensive tackle Chris Smith, according to the Detroit News.

6:00 p.m. — Tight end Jackson Meeks has made the initial roster, according to the Detroit Free Press.

5:56 p.m. — In an unsurprising move, the Lions are keeping safety Kerby Joseph on the physically unable to perform list, according to ESPN. He will be required to miss the first four games, but can return to practice after Week 2.

5:47 p.m. — With the full list of cuts likely coming within the hour, the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Mason Miller didn’t make the roster. Miller was a longshot, but had turned heads with an impressive showing at center during the preseason finale.

5:38 p.m. — After a strong start to camp, cornerback Nick Whiteside didn’t do enough down the stretch to secure a roster spot. He’s being waived, according to the Detroit News.

Whiteside had been filling in at safety during the final few days of practice, as well as the preseason finale.

5:25 p.m. — The day’s first big surprise comes courtesy the receiver room, where Tom Pelissero reports the Lions are releasing wide receiver Greg Dortch.

The veteran who followed offensive coordinator Drew Petzing from Arizona, had split his camp reps between the first- and second-team offense, as well as handling punts and kickoffs.

Dortch had a quiet preseason, catching two of three targets for 22 yards.

4:01 p.m. — Non-Lions news, but future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement.

3:54 p.m. — USA Today’s Saints Wire is reporting the Lions are waiving seventh-round pick Tyre West. The rookie defensive lineman, who primarily worked inside during training camp, struggled to earn preseason reps after a sluggish first camp. Given the team’s depth up front, it’s possible he might not get a practice squad look in Detroit.

3:41 p.m. — The Detroit News is reporting that the team is parting with defensive tackle Myles Adams. The veteran defensive lineman spent all of last season on the team’s practice squad and played 67 snaps in the preseason. He had four tackles, including a sack in Saturday’s finale.

3:30 p.m. — Tight end Zach Horton is being waived, according to the Detroit News. Signed as a UDFA a year ago, he saw limited action as a rookie, spending most of his debut season on the practice squad.

Horton was briefly released during the early stages of training camp, but brought back when injuries impacted the position’s depth chart. He saw extensive work during the preseason, logging more than 70 snaps on offense. He caught all five of his targets, but gained just 11 yards with those receptions.

3:25 p.m. — The Lions are releasing veteran linebacker Troy Reeder, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Signed shortly before the start of training camp, Reeder struggled to climb the depth chart through the summer. He logged 58 defensive snaps in the preseason, including 30 in the finale, recording five total tackles.

2:30 p.m. — A slow trickle of cuts have been coming in since the morning, but no leaks from Detroit.

However, there has been some news within the division where the Green Bay Packers have made multiple trades. The NFC North rivals shipped out quarterback Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins for a future sixth-round pick and are acquiring running back Kaleb Johnson from the Steelers and tight end Mark Redman from the Rams.

The Johnson trade is notable given Packers starting running back Josh Jacobs is heading to the commissioner’s exempt list after recently being charged with a pair of misdemeanors.

Johnson, a third-round pick out of Iowa a year ago, rushed for just 69 yards on 28 carries in 10 games as a rookie.

Roster count: 79

Quarterback

• Jared Goff

• Josh Dobbs

• Luke Altmyer

Running back

• Jahmyr Gibbs

• Isiah Pacheco

• Sione Vaki

• Jacob Saylors

• Jabari Small

• Trayveon Williams

• Roydell Williams

Wide receiver

• Amon-Ra St. Brown

• Jameson Williams

• Isaac TeSlaa

• Greg Dortch

• Tay Martin

• Tom Kennedy

• Dominic Lovett

• Lucky Jackson

• Malik Cunningham

• Tarik Black

• Kendrick Law (placed on injured reserve, doesn’t count toward 53)

Tight end

• Sam LaPorta

• Brock Wright

• Tyler Conklin

• Jackson Meeks

• Thomas Gordon

• Zach Horton

Offensive line

• Penei Sewell

• Blake Miller

• Christian Mahogany

• Tate Ratledge

• Cade Mays

• Juice Scruggs

• Larry Borom

• Ben Bartch

• Miles Frazier

• Giovanni Manu

• Seth McLaughlin

• Michael Niese

• Mason Miller

• Colby Sorsdal

• Devin Cochran

• Melvin Priestly

• Gus Hartwig

Edge

• Aidan Hutchinson

• DJ Wonnum

• Derrick Moore

• Tyler Lacy

• Ahmed Hassanein

• Eric O’Neill

• Anthony Lucas

• Payton Turner (placed on injured reserve, doesn’t count toward 53)

Defensive tackle

• Alim McNeill

• Tyleik Williams

• Skyler Gill-Howard

• Levi Onwuzurike

• Chris Smith

• Ben Stille

• Mekhi Wingo

• Myles Adams

• Tyre West

Linebacker

• Jack Campbell

• Derrick Barnes

• Devin White

• Malcolm Rodriguez

• Jimmy Rolder

• Trevor Nowaske

• Joe Bachie

• Troy Reeder

• Amen Ogbongbemiga

• Erick Hunter

• Damone Clark (placed on injured reserve, doesn’t count toward 53)

Cornerback

• DJ Reed

• Rock Ya-Sin

• Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

• Keith Abney II

• Khalil Dorsey

• Nick Whiteside

• Roger McCreary

• Bump Cooper Jr.

• Ekow Boye-Doe

• Eric Scott Jr.

Safety

• Kerby Joseph (Will stay on PUP and not count toward the 53-man roster)

• Brian Branch (Will stay on PUP and not count toward the 53-man roster)

• Chuck Clark

• Christian Izien

• Avonte Maddox

• Thomas Harper

• Dan Jackson

• Aamaris Brown

• Jason Taylor II

Specialists

• Jake Bates

• Jack Fox

• Hogan Hatten