Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions 2025 Roster Cuts Tracker

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By Christian Booher | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 7:08 AM ET

The preseason is over, training camp is over and now the Detroit Lions will need to make decisions regarding their roster.

By Tuesday at 4 p.m., the Lions must have their roster down from 91 players to 53. The team was granted a roster exemption through the International Player Pathways program for training camp for rookie Ahmed Hassanein, but that will not count in the regular season.

As a result, the Lions will have to whittle down their roster significantly. This will put pressure on general manager Brad Holmes, who will have to let good players go as the result of building a deep roster for training camp.

This creates stress for players on the bubble. Running back Craig Reynolds has become a valuable player for the organization in the backfield, but has been cut in the past throughout his time with the Lions.

Though he has returned after not making the initial 53-man roster in previous years, he has the perspective of players who are dealing with the emotions that come with the uncertainty of the roster bubble.

"It's definitely tough. Guys are fighting for their dream, competing, put it all on the line the last month and a half or so. It's definitely tough," Reynolds said. "Control what you can every day, whatever happens, happens. Just put the next foot forward. But yeah, it's definitely tough seeing guys — the locker room's definitely gonna look a lot different."

The Lions' decisions to part ways with players come with two different scenarios. Players with less than four accrued NFL seasons are subject to the waiver wire, and can be claimed by any other NFL teams.

The current waiver order is in inverse order of how teams finished last year in terms of win-loss record, so the Lions are in the 28th spot.

Players who have four or more accrued seasons are simply released, meaning the Lions could elect to bring back players who fit this criteria if they open roster spots by placing injured players on injured reserve after initial cuts.

Lions coach Dan Campbell has expressed trust in Holmes when it comes to the players on the fringes. The fifth-year coach claims that Holmes is rarely wrong when pr edicting when players will or will not get through waivers.

The Lions have also placed an emphasis on building the best possible 16-player practice squad, and routinely will elevate from within to add to the roster in the event of an injury.

Follow along throughout the days leading up to Tuesday's roster cuts deadline for updates.

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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