The Detroit Lions are reportedly waiving veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The move is being made in anticipation of a few Lions players likely to return from injury lists this week. Defensive end Josh Paschal and rookie offensive lineman Miles Frazier are at the end of their evaluation windows and must either be activated to the 53-man roster or put on reserve injury lists for the rest of the season. Additionally, the Lions are optimistic about Marcus
Davenport being activated to the 53-man roster for this week’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
That means the Lions may need to create three roster spots on their 53-man roster, and it appears Maulet will open one of those spots. The 32-year-old cornerback has filled in admirably for the Lions when they were short-handed, particularly at the nickel cornerback position. A midseason addition, Maulet played in six games for the Lions—105 defensive snaps—tallying 14 tackles, two passes defended, and an interception. Maulet even played five defensive snaps in Sunday’s overtime win against the Giants.
However, with cornerback D.J. Reed and Khalil Dorsey returning from injured reserve last week and Terrion Arnold on track to play this week against the Packers, Maulet’s spot on the roster became more expendable than ever. Detroit may opt to move Amik Robertson back to the nickel spot, when needed.
As for Maulet, he could always return to the practice squad. However, after the trade deadline, all cut players must go through waivers. So Maulet would have to clear before he could return.
