The Detroit Lions made a trio of moves Tuesday to get below the 85-player roster limit.
The Lion placed linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton on injured reserve and waived defensive tackle Michael Barnett and receiver Chad Hansen.
Hamilton appeared to be in line for a roster spot before last week’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills, with Lions coach Dan Campbell frequently praising his play during camp.
“He’s been playing pretty good football,” Campbell said Monday. “We tried to get a few more looks (for him against the Bills) on special teams that didn’t work out like we wanted. We wanted a little bit more, but he’s a guy since spring, we have had our eye on. We really like him a lot.”
[ Lions are showing toughness in the run game and in their attitude ]
Hamilton’s loss could open the door for Jahlani Tavai, a second-round pick in 2019, to make the Lions’ 53-man roster.
NFL teams had to trim from 90 to 85 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday, must cut to 80 players by Aug. 24 and have until Aug. 31 to get to 53 players.
Hansen, a former teammate of Lions quarterback Jared Goff at Cal, has practiced sparingly in recent weeks because of an undisclosed injury. He was waived with an injury settlement.
Barnett played 18 snaps against the Bills, but was down the depth the chart on the defensive line. The Lions welcomed defensive linemen Michael Brockers and Levi Onwuzurike back to practice on a limited basis Monday and could get Nick Williams back from the reserve/COVID list later this week.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.