Wonderful, the Lions have added a key player in comparison to…

Wonderful! The Lions have added a key player in comparison to…

The Detroit Lions signed tight end Anthony Firkser to the 53-man roster and elevated defensive lineman Tyson Alualu and veteran defender Bruce Irvin for the game, making a few last-minute personnel changes ahead of their game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Given that the Lions have recently changed their roster, here is a brief rundown of what has occurred on the active roster during the previous 48 hours:

Let’s break down each of these roster transactions, which may seem a little strange at first glance, but each one has a reason.

The Lions needed a third spot for Badgley because they could only use two elevation spots per week and probably wanted to start veterans Irvin and Alualu this week. It was only a matter of time until they needed to sign Badgley to the active roster, so they did so because he had already been elevated twice this season, leaving him with one elevation and two games left.

The Lions offense needed to find a way to add Firkser to the roster for this week’s game as well, since tight end Brock Wright is injured and they usually run their offense with three tight ends each week.

They could have easily promoted Firkser to the active roster and added Irvin or Alualu instead, but with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Houston, and Alim McNeill, three defenders who could return from injured reserve as soon as next week, the player added to the active roster this week is in a precarious position and could be cut to make room.

Furthermore, it seems highly probable that they think Firkser would clear waivers more easily than the veterans—a requirement for all waived players now that the trade deadline has passed. This is evident when comparing Firkser, Irvin, and Alulau.

One more thing about elevations:. Irvin is eligible to be elevated in the regular season finale only because this is his third and final roster elevation of the season; however, he will regain eligibility when the Lions play in the postseason.

For what reason, then, did the Lions make their first cut on Thursday? Probably for two reasons.

Initially, they were able to activate Jason Cabina from injured reserve. Although they did release him, it was presumably to create space for Firkser and get ready for the defenders who would be returning. Cabinda might rejoin the Lions practice squad, in which case he would be qualified for a game-day promotion.

Second, instead of having to wait until after the weekend (like Cabinda), Lucas and Nowaske were able to clear waivers this week after being released on Thursday. Although it worked with Lucas, who re-signed to the Lions practice squad, it was a calculated risk to try to sneak them through early. However, Nowaske was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals.

The Lions may be returning three players and getting ready for the postseason next week, so while the roster tricks are over for this week, we may be in for a whole new set of tricks.