ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 23: AJ Parker #41 of the Detroit Lions defends against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Detroit Lions trimmed the back end of the roster on Friday, waiving cornerback AJ Parker.
The Detroit Lions opened up on spot on the 53-man roster when they placed running back Craig Reynolds (ribs) on IR. Bringing wide receiver Trinity Benson back to their active roster off the Broncos’ practice squad filled the open roster spot left by Reynolds. On Friday, the Lions cleared another spot on the active roster by waiving cornerback AJ Parker.
Parker had a fairly sizeable role as an undrafted rookie in 2021, playing 13 games and making seven starts as he played 65 percent of the snaps in the games he played. He was the only Lions’ cornerback besides Amani Oruwariye to intercept a pass last season.
But added competition for the nickel corner role led to Parker being waived coming out of this preseason, and he landed back on the Lions’ practice squad. He played in three games (Week 5, Week 7, Week 8) when injuries opened up opportunity, seeing a total of 113 defensive snaps.
A hip injury rendered Parker inactive in Week 9, and before Week 10’s game he’s off the Lions’ roster entirely. With Jerry Jacobs, Will Harris, Mike Hughes and now Chase Lucas getting healthy, Parker became the odd-man out. The Lions actually have some depth at cornerback.
Lions waive cornerback AJ Parker in roster shuffling move
Lions head coach Dan Campbell has suggested fullback Jason Cabinda could be ready to go this week. He opened the season on IR with an ankle injury, and he has been practicing the past two weeks. Cabinda is a candidate to replace Parker on the 53-man roster, but with depth concerns at wide receiver or tight end it makes better sense for the callup to be one of those. Stanley Berryhill or Shane Zylstra in particular look like good candidates.
If Parker clears waivers, which seems far more likely than his being claimed by another team, the Lions could bring him back if they want to.