Lions send crystal clear message about final roster by waiving Ian Kennelly

The Detroit Lions have waived Ian Kennelly ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. Kennelly, who had steadily seen his stock rise this preseason and in training camp, is being given an opportunity to land elsewhere by hitting the waiver wire. But, he'd also make for a great addition to Detroit's practice squad.

This is the first move of a few that have begun to signal exactly what the Lions' philosophy is this season - the team is not keeping on anyone who cannot immediately contribute on the field at a high level. The UDFA hadn't been tested by NFL offenses yet as a defender, and the Lions are clearly prioritizing players who can hold their own in the NFL on defense.

Kennelly had started in two preseason games for the Lions, logging 11 tackles and acting as a pretty fierce competitor against the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons in those games. However, he was a step slow in his final game against the Houston Texans.

Kennelly waived from safety room

With the waiving of Kennelly, the Lions look to be shaping up a pretty small but mighty safety room. Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are obviously a part of the room, but now, perhaps Morice Norris, Loren Strickland and Erick Hallett have been given a lifeline to making the final roster as backups to those starters.

Hallett and Strickland were specifically in competition with Kennelly, so his waiving could bode well for either or both of them. Hallett looked good in the Lions' loss to the Dolphins, while Strickland remained fairly up and down with his production throughout the preseason.

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Kennelly had really raised some eyebrows in camp and preseason, and he had a great mindset as a rookie coming into the process aiming to land a roster spot. It wouldn't be shocking to see him land with another team in need of some depth at safety.

The safety room isn't the only area we should expect to see some surprising cuts. The defensive line is set to undergo a major chop down, with the Lions likely to carry just 10 or 11 players into the season in that positional group. Players like Brodric Martin and Nate Lynn are battling for position there.

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