The Detroit Lions waived two players on the eve of rookie minicamp Thursday, cutting tight end Kennard Backman and wide receiver Andrew Turzilli.

Both Backman and Turzilli were long shots to make the 53-man roster this fall.

Turzilli joined the Lions' practice squad late last season, and the Lions signed Backman to a futures deal in January.

The Lions drafted players at both the receiver and tight end positions in the middle rounds of last month's draft that helped make Backman and Turzilli expendable.

In the third round, the Lions took wide receiver Kenny Golladay out of Northern Illinois. In the fourth, they selected tight end Michael Roberts of Toledo.

The Lions currently have 76 players on their 90-man roster, including all nine of their draft picks.

Most of the Lions' open roster spots are expected to be filled by undrafted free agents who already have agreed to contracts but whose signings won't become official until they pass physicals when they report for rookie minicamp today.

Camp runs Friday-Sunday.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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