Detroit Lions quickly show there is no ‘final’ 53-man roster

It took less than 24 hours for the Detroit Lions to make changes to their 53-man roster they will take into the regular season opener against the Cardinals.

The Detroit Lions officially announced their final cuts and 53-man roster for the regular season shortly after Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. Less than 24 hours later, they announced a pair of changes.

That made for quite the emotional turnaround for offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas and offensive guard Brandon Thomas. Both were included in the 53-man roster “finalized” on Saturday afternoon.

However, both Lucas and Thomas were replaced on the roster when the Lions were awarded a pair of waiver claims. With offensive guard Zac Kerin claimed from Minnesota and offensive tackle Brian Mihalik claimed from Pittsburgh, the Lions needed to open two spots on their roster and it made sense to do so by making a swap of players at the same position.

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Two of the 53 spots on the roster have already changed and it is possible we see more before the team takes the field against the Arizona Cardinals in week one. Aside from adding Pat O’Connor and Earl Okine to the practice squad, the Lions haven’t made any moves to improve the defensive end position.

Ziggy Ansah was a big absence during preseason play but will be ready for week one, but the loss of Kerry Hyder and a pair of undrafted free agents at the back of the depth chart leaves plenty of uncertainty. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a defensive end added to the active roster from outside the organization but it hasn’t happened yet.

Next: Preseason trades show Bob Quinn’s brilliance

Bob Quinn has shown a penchant for turning over the bottom of the roster any time he believes there is an upgrade to be made. That’s common during the offseason and training camp but don’t be surprised to see that continue up to and into the regular season.