Detroit Lions waive UDFA TE Jake Hausmann

According to the NFL transaction wire, the Detroit Lions have waived tight end Jake Hausmann. The Athletic’s Chris Burke was first to report the move.

Hausmann, a UDFA rookie out of Ohio State, showed promise as a tight end with H-back flexibility in spring camp but failed to register many plays on offense or special teams when fall camp began. With seven tight ends on the active roster, and others making splash plays—Charlie Taumoepeau showed up on Day 9—Hausmann found himself dropping down the depth chart.

With just one week before the Lions’ first preseason game, their tight end depth chart has T.J. Hockenson at the top, Darren Fells in the TE2 spot, and at this time Alize Mack is the front runner for the TE3 role, though his spot is far from secure, as Taumoepeau, Hunter Thedford, and Brock Wright are competing hard to steal that job.

All offseason, the Lions have made a habit of keeping a roster spot open on their active roster so that they won’t feel pressured to make a snap decision when adding a player. This morning they added nose tackle Miles Brown for depth on the defensive line, and the Hausmann move brings their roster total back down to 89-players, thus resetting the trend.