Lions make the first of many notable roster moves on Thursday

Here it is. We knew the day would come when the Detroit Lions would have to make public moves to bring back CJ Gardner-Johnson, Jason Cabinda, James Houston and Alim McNeil. The Lions took a number of steps Thursday to address those issues.

Here’s what they did:Chase Lucas and Trevor Nowask dropped outFirst, the Lions parted ways with Lucas and Nowaske, freeing up two roster spots. The Lions hope to have both men back on the practice squad. But they will probably miss Novaske. Novache was all but cut from the Lions’ practice squad in early November. If the team that was interested at the time is still interested, they can claim him and he’ll be there.

If Lucas is cleared from waivers, the Lions expect to give him a spot on the practice squad in place of the activated Jason Cabinda.Lions quarterback Jason Cabinda has been ruled out of Week 3 with an injury. He was scheduled to return to practice last week, and the Lions feel his health is good enough to activate him. He is not injured and should play on Saturday. This could take away the ability of quarterback Malcolm Rodriguez or Sam LaPorta to make plays and get more open in the running game.

Lots of movement to comeGet ready to make more moves this year. The Lions still need to make room for the following players.C.J. Gardner-JohnsonJames HoustonMacNeil noticeMichael BadgleyMaybe it’s Bruce Irwin.We’ll let you know what they do when the news comes out.