Detroit Lions waive DE Josh Paschal after lost 2025 season to injury

In their first order of business to kick off the new league year, the Detroit Lions waived defensive end Josh Paschal .

Paschal spent the entire 2025 season on the nonfootball injury list after undergoing back surgery. His contract tolled for 2026 and the Lions could have kept him on their roster, but general manager Brad Holmes was noncommittal about Paschal's future in late February at the NFL combine.

"Josh, we’ll have the ability to bring him back," Holmes said. "There's still discussions to be had about that one, but yeah, it's a possibility."

A second-round pick at No. 46 overall out of Kentucky in 2022, Paschal had five sacks while playing as a rotational defensive end and part-time starter in his first three NFL seasons, when he missed 15 games with an assortment of ailments.

The Lions remain in the market for defensive line help after failing to land a pass rusher during the free agent negotiating period .

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Aidan Hutchinson and Ahmed Hassanein are the top defensive ends on the roster, though Levi Onwuzurike – whose contract also tolled after he missed the year following knee surgery – also can play the position. Hassanein, a sixth-round pick last year, did not play in 2025.

Al-Quadin Muhammad , who finished second on the Lions with a career-high 11 sacks, and Marcus Davenport are free agents.

The Lions have added four players in free agency so far, agreeing to deals with offensive linemen Cade Mays and Larry Borom , quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and running back Isiah Pacheco , and agreed to new deals with cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez .

They've lost four contributors in Alex Anzalone , Amik Robertson , Roy Lopez and Kalif Raymond , plus backup quarterback Kyle Allen.

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 waive DE Josh Paschal after lost 2025 season to injury