On Tuesday, the NFL required every team to cut their roster down to 53 players, forcing each franchise to move on from nearly 40 players. That means teams had to make a ton of tough decisions as they ended their journeys with players they invested a lot in.
For the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of those players was Tyler Lacy. The Jaguars selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and after two seasons with the team, his time in Jacksonville officially ended after his third training camp. Lacy was one of the players Jacksonville cut on Tuesday, but it didn’t take him long to find a new team.
The veteran defensive tackle was claimed on waivers a day later by the Detroit Lions.
Lions claim former Jaguars defensive tackle
During his two seasons in Jacksonville, Lacy played in 28 games, but didn’t start any. As a rookie, he only recorded 12 tackles in 15 games, but improved his numbers to 25 tackles in 13 games last season. Unable to standout in training camp this year on a young Jaguars roster that is improving, Jacksonville decided to let him move on to a new opportunity.
Lacy is lucky that his new opportunity is with one of the best teams in the NFL. The Lions were 12-5 two seasons ago and ended their season in the NFC Championship game. Last year, the team improved their regular season record to 15-2, but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. They are expected to return to contender status in 2025, and determined to finally get over the hump and reach the Super Bowl.
Despite losing both coordinators this offseason, and some key players on the field, Detroit believes it still has the pieces to make a run. Tyler Lacy will now be a part of that push.