Detroit Lions Claim DT, DE Off of Waiver Wire

The Detroit Lions have added two new defenders off of the National Football League's waiver wire.

According to the transaction wire, Detroit has added defensive tackle Tyler Lacy and defensive end Tyrus Wheat to the active roster.

Since they were claimed off the waiver wire, both are now officially members of the Lions' active roster.

Lacy played collegiately at Oklahoma State and was selected by the Jaguars in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He appeared in 15 games and recorded 12 tackles and a pass deflection his rookie campaign.

According to the league's website, "Lacy is usually first with his hands but needs to learn to jolt opponents and control the block more consistently with them. His block take-on can be a little bit segmented and he can be driven off his turf as a three-technique, but he has the length and athleticism to cause disruption in a one-gapping scheme. Lacy has talent as an interior rusher but might be better suited as a five-technique or 4-3 base end on early downs."

Wheat played collegiately at Mississippi State and went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has developed with the Dallas Cowboys organization, but he was waived as part of the final roster cuts this week.

Per his scouting profile, "He was productive enough during his two years there to be rated the top junior college linebacker prospect in the country. Wheat stayed in the Magnolia State, signing with the Bulldogs for 2020 and topping the squad with five sacks in nine games (30 tackles, six for loss, one interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, eight starts). He led the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for loss with 7.5 sacks among his 46 total stops in 2021, also intercepting a pass and breaking up two others while starting all 13 games. Wheat was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2022 (53 tackles, 10.5 for loss with a team-high six sacks, one interception, two pass breakups).

Detroit parted ways with rookie defensive end Ahmed Hassasein with an injury settlement and only started the year with 50 players on the active roster.

There were questions when the team announced their official 53-man roster, as the defense had only three defensive ends on the active roster.

Now, the team has 52 players on the active roster and two players that have an opportunity to develop in Detroit's defensive scheme.