The Detroit Lions are reportedly waiving CB Chase Lucas to make a roster spot, but they’re hoping to get him back on the practice squad.
According to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Detroit Lions are waiving Chase Lucas . Per Garafolo, the Lions want to bring Lucas back to the practice squad, but like all players cut at this point in the season, the young cornerback will be subject to waivers first, where any team can claim him and put them on their 53-man roster.
Lucas has been a key member of the Lions’ special teams for most of the year and even got a shoutout from special teams coordinator Dave Fipp this week.
“I thought the protection did a nice job and then obviously (Jack) Fox did a great job hitting the ball, especially the second one. And then Lucas, our right gunner down there, he did a real nice job kind of holding that guy up from getting started,” Fipp said.
There is no official announcement on what the Lions will do with the roster spots, but there are several players currently on IR or the practice squad that would make sense to elevate to the 53-man roster. Detroit could sign a guy like defensive end Bruce Irvin or kicker Michael Badgley from the practice squad, although both players still have one remaining elevation, meaning they could play against the Dallas Cowboys without taking up a 53-man roster spot.
The most logical reason for creating this roster spot is activating C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has two weeks of practice under his belt after being designated to return from injured reserve. On Thursday, coach Dan Campbell said they were still in the process of making a decision on whether to activate Gardner-Johnson for the Cowboys game this week.
“He’s even better than last week. He’s looking pretty good. It’s just another chance to get him going,” Campbell said. “Brad (Holmes) and I will talk about it after we get done today. He’ll be out there practicing again.”
It’s also possible that the Lions could return fullback Jason Cabinda to the active roster. He, too, has been practicing for two weeks now and has just one week left in his evaluation period.
The Lions have not confirmed any roster moves yet, but we’ll update this post when the news drops.
UPDATE: The Lions have also waived linebacker Trevor Nowaske, and activated fullback Jason Cabinda. They have also declared C.J. Gardner-Johnson OUT, meaning he will not be activated this week.
There is one more remaining spot on the 53-man roster, which will likely be filled by a late roster move—potentially a signing from the practice squad.