Detroit Lions' 2022 roster cut tracker: Team cuts 26 players to get down to 53

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions are required to establish an initial 53-man roster by 4 p.m. Tuesday. We'll use this space to update you with news and reports of cuts as they happen.

Tuesday

► 4:05 p.m. Here's the full list of players the Lions released, waived or waived/injured to get down to 53:

Released:

Quarterback Tim Boyle, linebacker Jarrad Davis, tight end Devin Funchess, defensive tackle Bruce Hector, running back Justin Jackson, offensive tackles Kendall Lamm and Dan Skipper.

Waived: 

Wide receiver Maurice Alexander, cornerback Cedric Boswell, tight end Derrick Deese, offensive tackle Obinna Eze, cornerback Mark Gilbert, linebacker James Houston, running back Godwin Igwebuike, wide receiver Tom Kennedy, cornerback A.J. Parker, kicker Riley Patterson, offensive tackle Darrin Paulo, wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton, linebacker Anthony Pittman, cornerback Saivion Smith

Waived/injured:

Defensive end Eric Banks, wide receiver Trinity Benson, defensive tackle Jashon Cornell, guard Kevin Jarvis, safety C.J. Moore

► 2:00 p.m. After three productive seasons as a special teams standout for the Lions, the team is set to waive safety C.J. Moore with an injury designation, according to ESPN.

Moore has logged more than 850 snaps on special teams since joining the Lions as an undrafted rookie in 2019, despite playing under three different coordinators. 

Unfortunately, the injury bug bit this offseason. He started training camp on the physically unable to perform list and suffered another injury that landed him in a walking boot shortly after returning to the practice field. 

By being waived/injured, Moore would revert to the Lions' roster and be placed on injured reserve if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Because he didn't make the team's initial 53-man roster, he would be ineligible to designate for return in 2022. 

Additionally, multiple reports indicate defensive tackle Bruce Hector is among the players being cut today.

After bouncing around the league his first couple seasons after going undrafted out of South Florida, Hector landed in Detroit as a waiver claim last July. Splitting time between the practice squad and active roster, he appeared in three games in 2021, logging five tackles while playing 52 defensive snaps. 

► 9:45 a.m. A.J. Parker, who earned Detroit's starting nickel cornerback job as an undrafted rookie a year ago, is being waived, according to the NFL Network. 

Fielding all the first-team reps though the first couple weeks of training camp, Parker began to cede some of those snaps to veteran and former first-rounder Mike Hughes in recent weeks. 

Asked about the nickel battle following the preseason finale, coach Dan Campbell had this to say about Parker: 

"A.J., he's proven to be dependable. He's smart. He's crafty. Though he has limitations, he understands his own limitations. He's able to play at least one step ahead because he is a smart player. And so that's what he has, right now, going for him. And it's like we said, he's one of those players, we go into that last game, just be a dependable you again. Just be dependable. Don't try to be something you're not. And then let the chips fall where they will."

In the end, Hughes won the tight competition and Parker became expendable because he offered far less on special teams and the Lions feel defensive back Will Harris is capable of backing up Hughes as the slot corner. 

► 9:35 a.m. According to the NFL Network, the Lions are keeping cornerback Jerry Jacobs on the physically unable to perform list to begin the regular season. That means he'll be out (and prohibited from practicing) for the first four weeks of the season. He had been inching closer to returning to practice at the end of training camp after suffering a torn ACL last December. 

An undrafted rookie last year, Jacobs was a bright spot for the Lions in 2021, appearing in 13 games and starting nine. In coverage, he was targeted 39 times, allowing just 22 receptions for 288 yards and one touchdown, while breaking up seven passes. 

Expect Jacobs to return to practice after the first four games, but it's likely the team will utilize nearly all of the allotted 21-day window to get him acclimated before adding him back to the active roster. 

► 9:30 a.m. The Lions are making a somewhat surprising decision to waive linebacker Anthony Pittman, who led the team with 378 special teams snaps last season. He had continued to take reps with the first-team groups on kickoff/punt coverage and return through the final preseason game. 

The Birmingham Groves and Wayne State product has been with the Lions since going undrafted in 2019. Flipping between off-ball and on-the-line roles defensively, he had largely been lining up as an edge rusher this training camp, even seeing some work with the first-team defense in certain sub packages. 

Monday

► 7:35 p.m. After a brutal performance in the preseason finale, the Lions are releasing backup quarterback Tim Boyle. The NFL Network first reported the impending cut. 

Signed the previous offseason after spending his first three years with the Green Bay Packers, Boyle suffered a thumb injury in the preseason that sidelined him the first nine games of the 2021 campaign. Upon his return, he was immediately thrust into the lineup against Cleveland in place of injured starter Jared Goff. 

Ultimately starting three games for Goff, Boyle completed 64.9% of his throws for 526 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. He re-signed to a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason and was projected to retain the backup job, but struggled with consistency throughout the offseason program. 

In Sunday's preseason matchup against the Steelers, Boyle completed just 5-of-15 throws, having multiple passes batted down at the line of scrimmage and throwing one directly at a defender that was intercepted. 

With the release, the Lions will eat a $1.75 million cap hit tied to contractual guarantees. 

► 7:00 p.m. A couple cornerbacks are being let go with Pro Football Focus reporting Mark Gilbert will be cut and the Free Press noting Saivion Smith is out. 

The Lions signed Gilbert off the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad last season. The cousin of former NFL star Darrelle Revis, Gilbert logged just 47 snaps with the Lions in 2021. He saw slightly more action than that in three preseason games this offseason, allowing eight receptions on 10 throws his direction, including a pair of touchdowns. 

Smith, a physical, tone-setter on the outside, had a strong training camp, but stumbled in the preseason finale, surrenduring five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, while also drawing a flag for pass interference. 

► 5:30 p.m. Tom Kennedy paced the NFL in receptions and receiving yards the first week of the preseason, caught two touchdowns in the second game and finished the exhibition slate with a team-high 16 catches for 143 yards. Still, it wasn't enough to secure a roster spot, according to the NFL Network. 

Originally signed by the Lions in 2019, the former college lacrosse standout spent much of his rookie season on the team's practice squad. He earned a spot out of training camp last year, but logged just 149 offensive snaps, catching six passes for 54 yards. His biggest play came in the season finale against Green Bay, when he threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond on a trick play. 

Kennedy had received steady praise from coaches and teammates for his effort and production, but his limitations on special teams ultimately cost him a job. 

► 5:10 p.m. Jarrad Davis' redemption story in Detroit appears to have come to an end. The team is releasing its former first-round pick, five months after re-signing him, according to the NFL Network. 

A player Campbell never truly wanted to let go, Davis re-signed with the Lions after a one-year stint with the New York Jets. Easy to root for because of his high character and openness about his renewed mental focus, he simply wasn't able to pass over any of the other options of the depth chart because of his limited contributions on special teams and his one-dimensional skill set as blitzing linebacker. 

Davis logged 74 snaps this preseason, primarily with the third defensive grouping, recording eight tackles and a pass breakup. 

► 4:18 p.m. The Lions are parting with Devin Funchess, the former Michigan standout who had been attempting to convert from wide receiver to tight end this offseason. The release was first reported by NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. 

Funchess was a late addition for the Lions, signing shortly before the start of training camp. He impressed in the preseason opener, catching four passes for 17 yards and a touchdown, but had to miss the second game after suffering a stinger during the joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Funchess logged 21 snaps in the preseason finale against Pittsburgh, catching one pass for four yards, but also drawing a false start the next play. 

More: Hard cuts: Here's our final Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection

► 4:15 p.m. The NFL Network is reporting undrafted rookie receiver Kalil Pimpleton has been released. The former Muskegon High School and Central Michigan star had been featured in the most recent episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks." 

Pimpleton caught nine passes during the preseason, three in each game, for 69 yards. He also got brief opportunities as both a punt and kickoff returner.