Ahmed Hassanein is destined to remain with Lions after surprising waiving

Ahmed Hassanein became the most surprising cut by the Detroit Lions on Tuesday afternoon. The team announced they had waived the sixth round pick out of Boise State with an injury settlement, as he wasn't expected to suit up again until next season or late in this season thanks to a pectoral injury. Still, even with that injury, it was anticipated he would be kept in the fold.

Now, Hassanein lands on the waiver wire and is vulnerable to get snatched up by a team looking to develop him next year after a so-so training camp and preseason with the Lions this year. However, it feels more likely than not that Hassanein will be available to the Lions by the time he's ineligible to be claimed off of waivers and becomes a free agent.

The reason for this is that, with injury settlements, players have a certain amount of time they must wait before signing with a team again. Whenever his settlement is up, he can re-sign with the Lions if they want to keep developing the young defender ahead of their 2026 season.

Hassanein likely to remain with Lions after injury settlement is up

Hassanein could get signed by another team once he's a free agent, but with the timeline of his pectoral injury stretching for most of the season, it's unlikely that a team would be so desperate as to spend a roster spot on an unproven rookie while he rehabs from his injury.

Detroit was happy with the development they were witnessing from Hassanein in camp, so it's within the realm of possibility that they want to keep him in their system and see if he can fight for a spot next season.

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Hassanein also just became one of several pass rushers and defensive linemen that the Lions let go on Tuesday. Nate Lynn, Brodric Martin, and Isaac Ukwu are just a handful of Lions defenders the team waived or cut, leaving them with just three EDGE players as of now - Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, and Al-Quadin Muhammad.

With three spots remaining on the Lions' roster, it's expected that they're not done making moves to round things out on the defensive side of the ball. Adding another pass rusher and at least another defensive linemen would go a long way, and they could also use an additional defensive back in the fold.

If the team is trying to get back Hassanein, it's going to be a while until we get any news about his return given his injury settlement.

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