Detroit Lions roster cuts tracker: Dan Skipper a stunner; Jackson Meeks headed to waivers
The Detroit Lions have until 4 p.m. Tuesday to cut their roster to 53 players . We'll keep track of every move the Lions make — and the big moves around the league — here.
Lions cuts today: Tracking every player move
Follow the cuts today, including:
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Linebacker Anthony Pittman
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Wide receiver Tom Kennedy
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Quarterback Hendon Hooker
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Defensive lineman Mitchell Agude
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Offensive tackle Dan Skipper
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Wide receiver Jackson Meeks
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Safety Erick Hallett
Lions waive standout UDFA WR Jackson Meeks
Jackson Meeks led the Lions with 11 catches and 176 yards receiving this preseason, but it wasn't enough for the undrafted rookie to make the Lions' initial 53-man roster.
The Lions informed Meeks of his release on Monday, though the team has yet to make any of its transactions official with the NFL.
Meeks, who played three seasons at Georgia and one at Syracuse, told the Free Press this week he felt good about his chances of sticking on the roster.
"I don’t really know how it goes up there in the front office, I just know that I showed what I can be, who I can be, my potential," he said. "There’s more stuff that I can work on. Of course the small stuff – even some big stuff. But at the end of the day, I showed that I’m a trustworthy football player and I’m going to go out there and go 100% every play."
Meeks is expected to return on practice squad if he clears waivers.
The Lions could keep six receivers on their 53-man roster with Amon-Ra St. Brown , Jameson Williams , Kalif Raymond and Isaac TeSlaa guaranteed roster spots, veteran Tim Patrick returning in a backup role and seventh-round pick Dominic Lovett playing well this preseason.
Tom Kennedy also is expected to return on practice squad after his release Monday.
Trey Hendrickson signs new deal with Bengals
A popular name often connected to the Lions is off the board. At least for now.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bengals have agreed to give Hendrickson a big pay raise as a one-year resolution to get him back on the field this year.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Bengals agreed to give him a $14 million pay raise for this season to bring his salary for 2025 to $30 million and he will become a free agent after the season.
Lions pull off shocker and cut fan favorite Dan Skipper
Swing tackle Dan Skipper had some struggles in the preseason, but this is still unexpected.
The Lions have decided to cut Skipper, according to Detroit Football Network's Justin Rogers.
Skipper became infamous among Lions fans for his role in the controversial call at the end of the Lions-Cowboys game in the 2023 season when he was confused for Taylor Decker and the team's two-point conversion was called back.
Skipper has been the team's go-to backup tackle for the last few years, including last year when he filled in for an injured Taylor Decker.
Detroit Lions reportedly cutting Hendon Hooker
After a disappointing preseason, the Lions have reportedly decided to cut backup quarterback Hendon Hooker.
The Lions selected Hooker in the third round of the 2023 draft when he was coming off a torn ACL that he suffered at the end of a prolific season at Tennessee . Hooker served as the backup for Jared Goff for much of last season, but didn't get too many opportunities, completing 6 of 9 passes in three games.
With Hooker being waived, that means Kyle Allen has won the backup job for the Lions. Allen has been in the NFL since 2018 and has floated around on a number of different teams, including the Carolina Panthers , Washington Commanders , Houston Texans , Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers . He has appeared in 31 games and made 19 starts.
Lions cut preseason legend Tom Kennedy
It's not a particularly surprising move, but the Lions have decided to cut wide receiver Tom Kennedy.
Kennedy is a player that Dan Campbell and his staff trusts quite a bit and he could certainly end back up on the practice squad.
Detroit native Anthony Pittman among the first cuts
The Lions started their cut down to a 53-man roster Monday by releasing linebacker Anthony Pittman.
Pittman, a Detroit native and former Wayne State star, has played parts of the past six sesaons with the team and has long been a contributor on special teams.
Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned Pittman in his Monday morning news conference as an example of a player who teams sometimes part ways with only to bring them back to help later in the year.
The Lions waived Pittman in 2022, re-signed him to practice squad, then promoted him to the active roster a few weeks later. He played in all 17 regular-season games in 2022 and 2023, signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent in 2024 then rejoined the Lions late last season after a stint on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.
"I said, 'You never know, we may see you again,'" Campbell recalled of one conversation he had with Pittman in recent years. "Cause we know what you’re about, we know who you are and sure enough, we get the injuries and he’s at Jacksonville, we bring him back. When we’ve been around these players and we feel like there’s a need, the easy part is they’ve been part of our program. They know what we’re about, we know what they’re about so like man, you can sign off on that."
The Lions entered Monday with nine linebackers on their 53-man roster. Jack Campbell , Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes are the starters, Grant Stuard is the top backup and Trevor Nowaske , Zach Cunningham and DaRon Gilbert also are competing for backup roles.
Ezekiel Turner suffered an Achilles injury in last week's preseason loss to the Houston Texans and is expected to miss the season.
Lions making moves Monday
The NFL's roster cut deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday, but Lions coach Dan Campbell said he anticipates making most of his team's initial cuts by the end of the day Monday.
"There could be a couple that we don’t get to, maybe last minute tomorrow," Campbell said. "But that is what it is and it’s – there’s nothing easy about it and it’s worse on them than it is us. I mean, it’s hard on us but there’s no woe-is-me here. I feel sorry for those guys, but at the same token, what I would tell them, man, use this as fuel and move onto the next step of this. Whether it’s another team or another shot at it. Whatever that is, man, attack the next day and don’t let it shake your confidence."
Campbell and Lions general manager Brad Holmes met Sunday night to start paring down the roster.
The Lions currently have 87 players on their 90-man roster and have 34 moves to make to get down to the 53-man limit, though not all of those moves will be cuts.
The Lions have several players in consideration for back-end roster spots who are dealing with injuries, including rookie defensive end Ahmed Hassanein, second-year running back Sione Vaki , veteran center Trystan Colon and safety Morice Norris .
Campbell declined to offer an update on the pectoral injury Hassanein suffered in an Aug. 16 loss to the Miami Dolphins and insisted the team has not decided if it will use both of its cut-day IR-to-return designations this week.
Teams can return eight players from IR to their active roster every year, including two players they place on IR at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
"We’re not there yet," Campbell said. "We’re up for debate. We’re talking about everything right now."
Backup QB moves
On Sunday, two of the Lions' top competitors in the NFC made moves to solidify their backup quarterback spots. The Minnesota Vikings traded backup quarterback Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles for a swap of draft picks, then signed veteran Carson Wentz .
Tanner McKee , the Eagles' No. 2 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts , injured his finger in practice last week.
Wentz played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season and will backup first-year starter J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota .
ANALYSIS: Lions 53-man roster prediction: Room for 7 WRs; Hendon Hooker's future a debate
Las Vegas Raiders join backup QB market
Aidan O'Connell, backup to starter Geno Smith , suffered a fractured wrist in the Raiders' preseason finale and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks. First-year coach Pete Carroll said the team is now looking for an experienced backup. Rookie Cam Miller , a sixth-round pick from North Dakota State, would currently slot in behind Smith.
Will Lions keep Hendon Hooker as third QB?
The Lions are expected to keep Kyle Allen as their No. 2 quarterback behind Jared Goff . Allen outplayed Hendon Hooker this preseason and closed the exhibition slate with a perfect 5-for-5 passing day against the Houston Texans.
Hooker's future is in question after he struggled in preseason games, committing five turnovers and leading one scoring drive in 20 possessions over four games.
Lions coach Dan Campbell insinuated Hooker might benefit from a change of scenery when asked about the pros and cons of keeping three quarterbacks Saturday.
FINAL CALL: Lions training camp winners and losers: Aidan Hutchinson a force, Isaac TeSlaa balls
"How much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes does the player need a change of scenery? What about our own depth in other areas?" Campbell said. "I mentioned this the other day relative to that — all right, maybe there is room to grow. Is that worth it for the depth we need at O-line, D-line, receiver, DB? And so those are all things you have to weigh.
"Look, I wish Hooker, and I know he does — would’ve had a better outing, but you have to take it with a grain of salt. It’s not like he was playing with our first O-Line out there, or first-team skill position, all of that. So you take that all into account as well. I thought he was prepared. I thought he was ready, looked pretty calm, just circumstances didn’t work out today, that’s all."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions NFL cuts tracker: Updates on every roster move
