Detroit Lions cut kicker Dominik Eberle after missing two extra points

On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions waived kicker Dominik Eberle, creating an open spot on the 53-man roster.

Eberle was forced into the lineup last week after Lions starting kicker Austin Seibert suffered a groin injury in Week 3’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. Eberle proceeded to miss the first two extra points of Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks and later boot a kickoff out of bounds. Although he made a 49-yard field goal in the game, the damage was done, and the Lions swiftly moved on.

On Monday, coach Dan Campbell said the team was planning to bring in kickers for a tryout, essentially spelling doom for Eberle.

“We’re bringing in some guys to kick, just to get a look at them,” Campbell said.

As of now, it’s not clear who the Lions brought in for a tryout or if they will be signing any of those kickers. However, it seems quite likely they’ll at least add one to their practice squad.

UPDATE: It appears the Lions tried out at least two kickers: Sam Ficken and Lirim Hajrullahu.

That said, the outlook is promising for Seibert to return to action this week against the New England Patriots.

“We’re hopeful to see if we can get Seibert to kick Wednesday, see where he’s at,” Campbell said on Monday. “So, we’re just keeping our options open, looking at everything.”

In addition to cutting Eberle, the Lions also announced that tight end Shane Zylstra has signed back to the practice squad after Detroit waived him on Saturday.

As of the time of this publication, the Lions have an open spot on the 53-man roster and an open spot on the practice squad.