Detroit Lions roster cuts: CB Chase Lucas to be waived

The Detroit Lions secondary was one of the most competitive training camp battles this summer. Several players made solid cases to make the 53-man roster, and we’ve yet to see how that will all play out. However, on Monday evening, we got a little clarity. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Lions are waiving cornerback Chase Lucas.

Lucas was the team’s seventh-round pick in 2022 and made six game appearances his rookie season, almost exclusively on special teams. This year, the Lions have tried him out at several different positions, including safety and nickel cornerback. He’s also been a prominent fixture on special teams units during training camp.

Lucas had one of the best plays of the Lions’ preseason finale, making a diving interception in the end zone to stop a Carolina Panthers drive in its tracks.

However, Detroit overhauled its secondary this offseason, and Lucas found himself regularly repping with the third time as the nickel cornerback behind Brian Branch and Will Harris. Plus, Detroit got strong contributions this camp from undrafted rookies Starling Thomas V and Steven Gilmore.

That said, if Lucas can clear waivers—which is no guarantee—it’s almost certain the Lions would bring him back. Several times, coach Dan Campbell has expressed his admiration for Lucas.

“He’s continued to compete every day,” Campbell said last week. “He’s done some nice things. I feel like he’s gotten better, but he is, he’s fighting for a spot. And, what I love about Lukey (Lucas) is I told him this, he’s the same guy every day. I mean the way he comes into work, he’s not up and down, he has the same attitude, he puts in the same amount of work, he–I mean nothing changes, he’s consistent.”

You can follow along with every Lions move down to 53 players in our 2023 Detroit Lions roster cuts tracker.