Lions cut DE Cam Johnson, LB Chad Meredith, 4 others; place S Marcus Cromartie on IR

The Detroit Lions officially announced all of the moves they made on Friday evening, totalling in 13 cuts total. Their official release via the NFL transaction wire, released these six new names for the 2018 cuts: G John Montelus, WR Teo Redding, DT Christian Ringo, DE Cam Johnson, CB Dexter McDougle, and LB Chad Meredith.

In addition to those cuts, the Lions also placed safety Marcus Cromartie on injured reserve, ending his season after suffering a preseason injury in Thursday’s finale.

The two bigger names in this crew or Johnson and Meredith.

At one point, Cam Johnson was taking first-team snaps at left defensive end/SAM linebacker when Devon Kennard was taking a rest during the third preseason game. However, he must not have impressed in his brief stint there, because the Lions have decided to part ways with him. The addition of Eli Harold made Johnson expendable, and now one has to wonder if Alex Barrett is safe because of this cut.

With an elite athletic profile and occasionally electric college tape, Meredith had possibly the best shot at making the roster as an undrafted rookie given the relative lack of strength at the linebacker position. An early injury stunted any progress he hoped to have, and despite a very late push that showed some promise he was unable to capitalize.

Meredith is a practice squad candidate and will likely be one of the first guys called back. He showed some promising flashes when he got healthy and with his upside it would be a shame to walk away.

Teo Redding was also a player that many thought could crack the roster. The rookie wide receiver quickly established himself as the training camp darling, making acrobatic catches on a near daily basis. But when the lights of the preseason came on, Redding seemed to disappear. He only caught four total passes for 84 yards.

The undrafted rookie out of Bowling Green may be able to work his way onto the Lions’ practice squad if the team is interested. He also brings some return skills to the table, so he could act as insurance if Jamal Agnew goes down with an injury.

To see all of the day’s transactions, check out our 2018 Lions cut tracker.