Detroit Lions make 3 more cuts, including a surprise at defensive end
In one of the more shocking moves from the Detroit Lions in roster cuts so far, the Lions are waiving edge rusher Nate Lynn.
An undrafted free agent who signed with the Lions in 2024, Lynn impressed early but suffered a torn ligament in his shoulder during preseason and missed the season.
Upon return in 2025, Lynn has been a solid contributor throughout training camp and preseason.
He played 108 snaps on defense across four preseason games and registered 10 pressures, four tackles and a sack.
Given the injuries the Lions are dealing with in that room ahead of the season, Lynn seemed a likely fit in the room.
The Lions have already dealt with a season-ending injury to Levi Onwuzurike, a significant injury to rookie edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein and the continued absence of Josh Paschal — who is going to be out longer than initially expected for a non-football injury — this offseason
Detroit still has the group of Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Al-Quadin Muhammad along with roster-bubble players like Keith Cooper Jr. and Isaac Ukwu.
But depth has become very thin for the Lions along the edges.
The Lions also waived tight end Gunnar Oakes and released wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James in some of their latest cuts to the roster, getting the team down to 53 members.
Oakes was signed by Detroit Aug. 10 following tight end Kenny Yeboah’s placement on the season-ending injured reserve list.
A former Eastern Michigan standout, Oakes spent two seasons with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers before getting his opportunity with the Lions.
Across two preseason appearances, Oakes played four snaps across offense and special teams.
Keeney-James joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of UMass.
After five seasons with Eastern Washington, he had a career-best 839 yards on 50 catches and earned a chance to compete for the limited wide receiver space open on the roster.
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He played 73 total snaps for the Lions during preseason, but only saw two targets and didn’t make a catch.
