Lions waive former second-round LB Jahlani Tavai

The Lions attempted to find a taker for former second-round pick Jahlani Tavai ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, but no such trade materialized. Detroit’s new regime is moving on, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

This marks another recent second-round pick to falter in Detroit. The Lions waived 2018 second-rounder Kerryon Johnson earlier this year. After going off the 2019 draft board 43rd overall, Tavai is now on waivers.

Tavai came up in trade talks as recently as Monday, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, but Brad Holmes and Co. instead ended up cutting the Bob Quinn-era draftee. The Lions used Tavai as a starter in 16 games — 10 in 2020. Pro Football Focus graded the University of Hawaii product as one of the worst off-ball ‘backers in the league last season.

That said, two years remain on Tavai’s rookie contract. The young middle linebacker profiles as a potential waiver claim elsewhere. Teams have until 3:00 p.m. Tuesday to pare their rosters down to 53 players, but subsequent waiver claims will change franchises’ roster constructions.