The Lions kicked off the new league year by kicking defensive lineman Josh Paschal off the roster.
The Lions announced Paschal’s release shortly after the 2026 league year began at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The move clears Paschal’s entire cap hit of just over $1.75 million for the coming season.
Paschal was a 2022 second-round pick in Detroit and played in 40 games for the team in the regular season and playoffs before missing all of 2025 due to a back injury.
Paschal had 69 tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries during his time with the team.
Defensive linemen D.J. Reader, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Marcus Davenport also became free agents at the start of the league year.