The Detroit Lions officially wrapped up the preseason portion of their schedule on Saturday afternoon with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts, ending preseason play with a 2-1 record and now turning their attention to the impending regular season opener on Sept. 13 against the New Orleans Saints.
However, while there are still plenty of decisions to be made by the coaching staff between now and then, something more immediate is required of the Lions and all other NFL clubs.
Each club must have their 53-man roster submitted by 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, and the Lions have taken the first step toward their final roster.
According to multiple reports, the Lions have begun trimming their roster by releasing a pair of players in LB Troy Reeder and TE Zach Horton.
The Detroit Lions Have Released Linebacker Troy Reeder
As part of their first round of roster cuts to get to the necessary 53-man limit by Sunday evening, linebacker Troy Reeder was one of the first names released.
Reeder, who was never drafted into the NFL, attended both Penn State and Delaware, and then signed with the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent, and impressed enough to make the team following his first Training Camp. As a rookie, he would eventually amass 58 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles.
Reeder would help the Rams (along with former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford) win Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, during which he recorded a pair of tackles.
He would then spend a season playing with the Los Angeles Chargers, appearing in all 17 games before signing with the Vikings, only to be waived.
Reeder then found himself back with the Rams, He played in all 17 games, making six starts and recording 23 tackles. He then opened the 2024 season as Los Angeles’ starting inside linebacker, starting six games before a hamstring injury against the Raiders ended his season.
Reeder re-signed with the Rams on a one-year deal in 2025 and again appeared in all 17 games. He also played in all three playoff contests, including recovering a muffed punt in the Wild Card win over Carolina as Los Angeles reached the NFC title game.
So far in his NFL career, he has 335 total tackles with 12 pass deflections and five sacks.
The Lions Have Also Released Zach Horton
Along with Reeder, the Lions have also released tight end Zach Horton, who originally joined the club as an undrafted free agent in May 2025; he played college football at James Madison before transferring to Indiana.
After being waived during final roster cuts, he returned to Detroit on the practice squad before signing a reserve/future contract in January 2026.
The Lions waived him again in July 2026 but brought him back only days later after tight end Anthony Firkser was placed on injured reserve.
Lions Make First Moves on Roster Cutdown Day