The cuts are done for the Detroit Lions and the rest of the NFL. Now comes the waiver wire which ends at noon on Wednesday and then the scooping up of newly released free agents. 

I scoured through all the players that were cut on Tuesday and I came up with 10 options that the Lions should have on their radar for both their 53-man roster and their practice squad. 

Let's jump right into it

DeWayne McBride

The Lions surprisingly cut Craig Reynolds on Tuesday and now they only have two running backs. Reynold sis likely to come back to the Lions roster, but just in case he doesn’t I’ll have a few running backs on here. Here’s one that the Lions could sign even if Reynolds does come back. 

McBride is a guy that I mocked to the Lions on multiple occasions during draft season. He wound up going to the Vikings in the sixth round. He ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason and the Vikings wound up waiving him. They'll likely try to get him back after he clear waivers, but the Lions can come in and steal him. He's a speedy back that has some upside. 

Kenyan Drake

The Lions are set at running back as far at their two starters go, but why not double down and grab a veteran running back that can really bring something to the table. Drake can take some carries here and there and give Montgomery and Gibbs some relief. 

Drake ran for 482 yards and four touchdowns in a similar role for the Ravens last year. The Colts decided to release him. So the Lions can grab him whenever they want and don't have to worry about any waiver wire.

Alex Leatherwood

I’m not totally sold on the idea that the Lions are all set with their offensive line. They could still use some depth at tackle. Leatherwood  is an intriguing option. The Bears just released the 24 year old tackle on Tuesday and he could come in and help the Lions with their needs. He’s an interesting career so far. He started 17 games for the Raiders in his rookie year and got injured in his first season with the Bears last year. After Chicago drafted Darnell Wright, Leatherwood got canceled out. He’s worth a look for sure.  

Amari Rodgers

You might remember Rodgers from his days with the Packers. he tried things with the Colts this summer and it didn’t work out. Rodgers isn’t a guy that can come in and start some games for you, but that’s not what the Lions need anyways. Rodgers is a guy that could be your sixth receiver and maybe add something to the team on special teams. He has experience in both kick returns and punt returns. This move would allow the team to keep Kalif Raymond out of that role. 

Austin Watkins

Watkins has bounced around from practice squad to practice squad during his short career. He even won a championship in the USFL. He was very impressive for the Browns during the preseason. I watched more Browns than I ever have this year because I love Dorian Thompson-Robinson. 

Anyways, Watkins is a guy that the Lions could take a look at on their practice squad and then maybe more down the road. He's a guy that could definitely pop into a game and make a couple plays. 

Nathan Rourke

Did you really think I wasn’t going to add a least one quarterback to this list? Air Canada is where it’s at. Rourke was amazing to watch in the CFL and he was pretty sharp during the preseason too. I’m actually shocked he didn’t beat out C.J. Beathard for the backup spot in Jacksonville. 

The Lions don't necessarily need a quarterback right now. They didn't need one last week either when they attempted to trade for Trey Lance. But here we are. I say go get this guy and put him on the practice squad and see what you have. 

Malik Cunningham

If there’s one thing that I love, it’s a player that can do multiple things. That’s what I loved so much about Jahmyr Gibbs. You’re getting more than one thing out of him. Cunningham is an interesting player. He spent the preseason playing receiver and quarterback. He did pretty well at both spots. This is kind of player you put on the practice squad to see what else he’s capable of doing. 

Cade York

I’m not saying that the Lions should go out and sign him, but I am saying that it’s worth a shot to bring him in for a tryout if you’re looking to add a kicker. The Lions were in the trade market on Tuesday, but it seems like they may have struck out a bit after both Nick Folk and Will Lutz got traded elsewhere. 

Zonovan Knight

You might remember Knight from when the Lions played the Jets last year. The rookie was having a nice run before playing in that game. The Jets activated him for the firs time in Week 12 and he ran for 230 yards and a touchdown in his first three games combined. He started to trend back down after the Lions game, but so did the Jets in general. He could be an immediate help at running back three if he’s not claimed on the waiver wire. 

Max Duggan

Ok, one more quarterback for the practice squad. Duggan led TCU to the National Championship gamer last year. He was great. He’s a little undersized and his arm isn’t Matthew Stafford’s or Josh Allen’s, but it’s not horrible. Plus he has an ability to be a mobile gut too. It’s worth a look to at least have him on the practice squad for a bit. I’m sure he’ll find a home somewhere. 

Detroit Lions practice squad tracker

The Detroit Lions will complete their cuts at 4:00 on Tuesday. Then things will shift a bit for the team as they begin to sign players to their practice squad. That should start as early as Wednesday.  The practice squad is different these days. Last year the NFL allowed teams to have 12 players on […]

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