Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions waived Zaviar Gooden today, one day after he played most of the game as the team's No. 3 linebacker.

Gooden had three tackles in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

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He signed off the practice squad on Saturday to provide depth for the team's thin linebacker corps.

The Lions have played the last two weeks without DeAndre Levy because of a quad injury, and held rookie Antwione Williams out of the lineup Sunday with a pulled hamstring.

Levy is expected to miss at least one more week, but Gooden's release could signify healthier days ahead for a defense that finished Sunday with just three other active linebackers: Tahir Whitehead, Kyle Van Noy and Thurston Armbrister,.

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said the team's lack of depth at linebacker is no excuse for Sunday's poor defensive effort, when the Packers scored 31 of the game's first 34 points.

"What do I expect to get out of them? The same thing I expect to get out of guys that were there prior to them being called up, or prior to they’re being added to the team or placed in position to play," Caldwell said. "We’ve got to be able to be effective, we’ve got to be able to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. We have to make certain we handle our assignments and get our job done. That’s what we expect."

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