The Detroit Lions waived rookie edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein with an injury settlement on cutdown day, a move that could still leave his future in Detroit open.
Hassanein, a 2025 sixth-round pick from Boise State, has been sidelined by a pec injury he suffered in preseason Week 2. The injury settlement means he can return to the Lions once he’s healthy and after the settlement period expires, though Lions coach Dan Campbell didn’t rule out the possibility that Hassanein could miss the entire season.
The maneuver helps Detroit in several ways. Had Hassanein been placed on injured reserve before the cutdown deadline, he would have been unavailable all season. If he’d gone on IR after the deadline, he could have returned later in the year but would have required the Lions to use a roster spot initially and could have used up one of their two return-from-IR designations, which are valuable assets for a team that dealt with injuries last season.
The main risk is that another team could claim him, but waivers for players with an injury settlement are rarely exercised by other clubs.
In camp and the preseason, Hassanein showed flashes and the Lions viewed him as a depth piece behind their edge group. The expectation remains that he could be back in Detroit once he’s fully healthy.
Bottom line: This is a strategic move to protect the Lions’ roster flexibility while keeping Hassanein’s potential return on the table if he regains health. If he lands back with Detroit later in the season, he could compete for depth on the edge again.
Additional context: Injury settlements typically set a window for a player to heal and rejoin the league, at which point the team can re-sign him if they choose. This approach is commonly used to preserve roster spots and maintain flexibility during the season.