The Detroit Lions made their first surprise move of cut week, releasing running back Zach Zenner on Tuesday.
Zenner played in eight games and made one start last year after Kerryon Johnson was lost to a season-ending knee injury. He played as the Lions' No. 4 running back for most of this preseason, behind Johnson, C.J. Anderson and rookie Ty Johnson, but seemed to be in line to make the 53-man roster because of his special-teams ability.
With Zenner gone, and with injury concerns at linebacker (Jarrad Davis) and on the offensive and defensive lines (Frank Ragnow and Da'Shawn Hand), the Lions likely will keep three running backs on their initial 53-man roster.