The NFL just gave the Lions a nice roster perk that allows them to have more players on their roster

The Lions are getting an extra roster spot due to an international exemption

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes shows appreciation for fans as he walks onto the field ahead of the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions drafted Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft last year. Hassanien has a very interesting journey to the NFL. He spent most of his life in Egypt until he came over during high school and started playing football.

Last year, the NFL gave the Lions an international roster exemption for Hassnein.

The Lions are once again getting an international roster exemption for Hassnein

While Hassnein was not an International Pathways Player, he gets the exemption because, while he played more than two years of American high school football, the NFL looks at that third year during the COVID-19 pandemic as a lost year for him. So he qualifies.

What the exemption means in the grand scheme of things is that the Lions get a 91st roster spot during training camp, and that essentially opens up an additional roster spot for the Lions right now. If things go wrong for Hassanien this summer and he winds up on the practice squad, the Lions then get a 17th spot there.

So it’s good news for Detroit, which still had three open spots coming into this week and now has four. There are plenty of players left on the market, whether it be veterans or undrafted free agents, that the Lions could still add. They have yet to announce the latter. So while we know about nine of them, there could be more.

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