Getty Head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions have made their first round of roster cuts ahead of the August 29 deadline.
The Detroit Lions included three very experienced veterans in their first round of roster cuts.
The Lions announced on Twitter on August 27 that the team released defensive lineman Christian Covington along with offensive linemen Bobby Hart and Germain Ifedi. All three players have been in the NFL since at least 2016.
Detroit also released wide receiver Jason Moore and running back Devine Ozigbo. Both of those skilled-position players have been in the league since 2019.
Furthermore, the Lions announced on August 27 that they have waived wide receiver Trinity Benson, offensive lineman Obinna Eve, wide receiver Avery Davis, tight end Daniel Helm, offensive lineman Alex Mollette, safety Scott Nelson, offensive lineman Darrin Paulo and cornerback Colby Richardson.
#Lions announce roster moves:
RELEASED
DL Christian Covington
OL Bobby Hart
OL Germain Ifedi
WR Jason Moore
RB Devine Ozigbo
WAIVED
WR Trinity Benson
WR Avery Davis
OL Obinna Eze
TE Daniel Helm
OL Alex Mollette
S Scott Nelson
OL Darrin Paulo
CB Colby Richardson
Lions Cut Defensive Lineman Christian Covington
Detroit added Covington as depth in free agency on May 10. At the time, it appeared as though his eight years of NFL experience would be very helpful to the young Lions defensive line.
Covington began his career as a sixth-round pick for the Houston Texans. He played four seasons for the Texans, racking up 65 combined tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and 7.5 sacks from 2015-18.
After that, he played for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers. Last season, he had 12 tackles in four games for the Chargers.
Covington’s release doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy and The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett both projected Covington to not make the 53-man roster.
Of the 13 players the Lions released or waived on August 27, only three of them were on defense. The other two defenders cut besides Covington were in the secondary — safety Scott Nelson and cornerback Colby Richardson.
Nelson spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. Richardson is an undrafted rookie from LSU.
Lions Release Offensive Linemen Bobby Hart & Germain Ifedi
Just like Covington, the Lions signed Hart and Ifedi this offseason for extra depth in the trenches.
Ifedi began his career with the Seattle Seahawks as the No. 31 overall pick during the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. He started 60 games for the Seahawks over four seasons.
He then started 23 contests for the Chicago Bears from 2020-21. Last season, Ifedi was a reserve offensive linemen for the Atlanta Falcons.
Hart began his career as a seventh-round pick for the New York Giants in 2015. Despite being a late-round pick, he made the team and then started 13 games during his second season.
After three seasons for the Giants, Hart played for the Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans.
Both Pouncy and Birkett projected Hart to be released. However, Pouncy predicted Ifedi to make the 53-man roster.
The other most interesting note from the roster cuts for the Lions on August 27 was at wide receiver. Detroit cut three wide receivers — Jason Moore, Trinity Benson and Avery Davis.
While cutting three players from one position at the same time is noteworthy, Moore, Benson and Davis were all considered likely cut candidates.
After departing with those three players, the Lions have nine wide receivers remaining on their roster. They may be cutting as many as three more before the roster deadline on August 29.
Second-year receiver Jameson Williams will not count as one of the 53 players on Detroit’s roster, though, because of his suspension. That could open up a spot for another wideout.
After these cuts, the Lions have 75 players remaining on their roster. They must get the roster down to 53 players by the 4 pm ET deadline on August 29.
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Lions Cut 3 Experienced Veterans in First Round of Roster Cuts