To make room on the roster for kicker Dave Rayner, the Lions released cornerback Jonathan Wade. Wade signed with the Lions last offseason and started out the regular season as a starter. He was expected to be a big part of the Lions' revamped secondary and early on that seemed to be the case.
Once the season actually started, however, Wade's struggles began. He just was not playing well and ended up losing his starting job to Alphonso Smith, who has been a very pleasant surprise for Detroit. Wade's playing time was reduced dramatically as a result and the Lions decided to part ways with him this week. Depth at cornerback isn't great, but Wade became expendable with guys like Smith and Chris Houston playing so well.
The cornerbacks now on the roster for the Lions are Houston, Smith, Nathan Vasher and Brandon McDonald.