Nine Takeaways From Initial Lions 2025 Roster

The Detroit Lions have cut their training camp roster down to 50 players, and have three spots to work with ahead of the regular season.

On the NFL's deadline for cutting training camp rosters down to 53 players, Detroit pared the roster down even further. As a result, general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have the opportunity to do some work in adding to the roster in the coming days.

The Lions also made a pair of moves in the early hours Wednesday, trading wide receiver Tim Patrick to the Jaguars and signing free agent safety Daniel Thomas.

Here are nine takeaways from the initial Lions roster for the 2025 season.

Room to work

The most glaring takeaway from the Lions' cut process is the fact that they only kept 50 players on Tuesday. This is unquestionably a surprise, but could also be an indication that Holmes and company have something in the works with the three available spots.

Last season, the Lions claimed linebacker Trevor Nowaske as their only move on the waiver wire. The team is 28th in waiver priority this year, so it will be difficult to get the best available young talent. As a result, perhaps the Lions elect to retain some of their veteran talent that they cut on Tuesday or add experienced free agents.

Biggest surprise cut

One of the more shocking decisions the Lions made on Tuesday was to waive defensive end Ahmed Hassanein with an injury settlement. The sixth-round pick out of Boise State suffered what has been deemed a pectoral injury against the Miami Dolphins, but the decision to part ways with him is still quite surprising.

Part of the decision is the NFL only allowing teams to designate two players for return after being placed on injured reserve, and as a result the Lions did not want to use a slot on the rookie.

As a result, the young defender will hit the waiver wire. While his injury could prevent teams from claiming him, as he'd have to go on their active roster, he is ineligible to return to the Lions until after the duration of his injury settlement.

No UDFAs make roster

For the first time in Dan Campbell's tenure as head coach, the Lions did not keep a single one of their 2025 undrafted free agents. Detroit had multiple candidates who looked close to making the team, but in the end the front office elected to not keep any.

Wide receiver Jackson Meeks and defensive linemen Keith Cooper are both among the top candidates from the group to be retained should they pass through waivers. The decision to not stash any of the UDFAs for developmental purposes is an indication of the overall strength of the roster in the fifth year of the Holmes and Campbell era.

Za'Darius Smith watch?

The Lions and veteran defensive end Za'Darius Smith have been linked throughout the offseason, even with the team releasing the veteran prior to free agency. Both sides have expressed interest in a reunion, albeit to varying degrees.

With the Lions only carrying three true defensive ends on their roster in its initial form, the defensive end position will no doubt be a position of interest. Smith knows the scheme, and appeared to have more to give after notching eight sacks a season ago.