The Detroit Lions started roster cuts with their first wave of moves Saturday, letting go of a handful of players who are not expected to stick around on practice squad.
Defensive tackle Christian Covington and center Alex Mollette were the first two reported cuts, and tight end Daniel Helm has joined them on the waiver wire.
Helm was a late arrival to camp, signing with the Lions in early August after Shane Zylstra suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice.
The Lions' decisions have seemed pretty obvious at tight end since that day: Rookie second-round pick Sam LaPorta is TE1, and James Mitchell and Brock Wright are in line to make the 53-man roster as backups.