The Detroit Lions waived two players on Wednesday, creating two empty roster spots on their 53-man roster. The players they waived were running back Jabari Small and backup center Seth McLaughlin.
Why did the Lions waive these two players after they made the initial 53-man roster?
One theory could be that they found two new players who are going to replace both on the roster. A more likely theory is that both Small and McLaughlin were battling injuries. And rather than waive/injury them initially and have
them revert to the injured reserve, and then have to cut them with an injury settlement, the Lions opted to wait until they got healthy, waive them, and hope to bring them back on the practice squad.
If that’s the true theory, then the most likely use of those two roster spots are players who are already on the practice squad. The most obvious choice is Tom Kennedy, who at this point is the presumed punt returner after the surprise release of Greg Dortch. On Wednesday, general manager Brad Holmes hinted that the wide receiver room may not stay at just four players right now.
“Four (receivers) is obviously a little bit on the lighter side. That’s just where we’re at right now today, currently,” Holmes said.
The other spot is a little tougher to guess. There are some talented defensive players on the Lions’ practice squad, including cornerback Nick Whiteside, and defensive linemen Chris Smith and Ben Stille. Joe Bachie is another candidate, especially if rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder isn’t ready to play in Week 1.
If the Lions sign two players from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, it would obviously open spots for Small and McLaughlin to return to the practice squad, but they’ll have to clear waivers first.
But let’s also keep open the possibility Detroit has found external help. Since roster cuts, the Lions have added just one player from outside the organization: Elijah Klein, an offensive lineman formerly of the Buccaneers.
