Allen Park — There were a handful of surprises as the Detroit Lions got the roster down to the 53-player limit Tuesday afternoon, including both of the team's kickers being cut.
The decision to release both Randy Bullock and Zane Gonzalez certainly doesn't mean the Lions will go into the season without a kicker. It's replicating a strategy recently utilized by the New England Patriots, which allows a team to squeeze an extra player on the initial roster, prior to opening a roster spot by moving one or more players to injured reserve.
In Detroit's case that will be backup quarterback Tim Boyle, who underwent surgery on his thumb on Monday and will be sidelined up to eight weeks, according to an NFL Network report.