The Detroit Lions trimmed their roster down to the NFL maximum of 53 players, and it was tough news for some of our favorites from ‘Hard Knocks’.  

Kalil Pimpleton — Cut

The juggling wide receiver was waived from the team early Tuesday morning. The speedy rookie out of Central Michigan stood out via his juggling prowess this season, even getting some expert tips from noted juggling expert Steven Seagal (Nathan Wakefield). 

There was hope that Pimpleton could make the cut as the Lions’ receiver room was an open contest outside its top three starters, but a goal line drop in the final preseason game seemingly sealed his fate. He still could catch on via the Lions practice squad or with another team as his speed and versatility are certainly NFL-caliber. 

Obinna Eze — Cut

In the summer of 2015, Obinna Eze arrived in the USA from Nigeria having never touched a football. The fact that he climbed through the ranks of college football with enough ferocity to get a look at the professional level is a testament to the man’s athleticism and desire. 

Sadly, he seemed to be on the chopping block from the get-go. From being chewed out by his positioning coach in episode three to being highlighted as the reason quarterback David Blough took a beating in their final preseason game, Eze’s departure from the team was an easy call by Dan Campbell’s staff. 

David Blough — Cut

Dan Campbell wanted his players on the bubble to show him something during the final preseason game, and Blough stepped up to the plate. After the presumptive backup quarterback Tim Boyle struggled mightily against Pittsburgh’s ferocious defense (Boyle was cut on Tuesday by the team), Blough came in and brought the juice.

He saved his best play for last. After taking a beating for much of the game, Blough skirted out of the pocket on a 2nd and goal broken play, sprinted to the left and pitched the football over two rushing defenders to a wide open receiver in the endzone. It doesn’t always need to be pretty, and Blough’s preseason certainly wasn’t, but he proved enough for the Lions to at least show interest in adding him to their practice squad. Blough was a late cut Wednesday morning.