Lions shift two injured starters to reserve/PUP list as team sets initial roster

In stashing two injured starters on the reserve/PUP list, the Detroit Lions also made a host of cuts to move down to 53. Here are the moves the two-time reigning NFC North champions made at Tuesday’s cutdown deadline:

Released:

• DL Myles Adams
• OL Trystan Colon
• WR Tom Kennedy
• OL Netane Muti
• LB Anthony Pittman
• OL Dan Skipper
• WR Malik Taylor

Waived:

• DE Mitchell Agude
• CB Luq Barcoo
• WR Ronnie Bell
• OL Gunner Britton
• DL Keith Cooper
• CB Allan George
• LB DaRon Gilbert
• S Erick Hallett
• TE Zach Horton
• RB Deon Jackson
• OL Zack Johnson
• WR Jakobie Keeney-James
• S Ian Kennelly
• DE Nate Lynn
• WR Jackson Meeks
• CB D.J. Miller
• OL Mason Miller
• OL Michael Niese
• S Morice Norris
• TE Gunnar Oakes
• CB Tyson Russell
• RB Jacob Saylors
• TE Steven Stilianos
• S Loren Strickland
• DE Isaac Ukwu
• CB Nick Whiteside.

Placed on IR:

• LB Zeke Turner (story)

Waived (injury settlement):

• DE Ahmed Hassanein

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

• OL Miles Frazier
• DL Alim McNeill
• LB Malcolm Rodriguez

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

• DE Josh Paschal

McNeill is believed to be ahead of schedule, but the standout interior D-lineman will still be stashed on the PUP list — requiring a four-game absence. The Lions lost McNeill to an ACL tear — in their bloodbath of a season on defense — to a Week 15 ACL tear. This came weeks after the Lions and the four-year veteran hammered out an extension. McNeill, who has been pegged as most likely to return around midseason, is signed through 2028.

Rodriguez went down with an ACL tear during the Lions’ Thanksgiving win over the Bears. It was reported previously the young linebacker would be expected to miss regular-season time, and that will come to pass.

The Lions became the extraordinarily rare team to drop down to 50 players on roster-cutdown day, as opposed to the required 53. That will keep options open. The team can bring vested veterans back without the waiver process being involved, and teams occasionally wait until after the vested-veteran guarantee deadline passes in early September to re-sign vested performers to avoid fully guaranteeing salaries.