As expected, the knee injury suffered on Saturday by Lions linebacker Jordon Dizon, a second-round pick in 2008, has ended his 2010 season.
As not entirely expected, a league source tells us that the Lions decided to expose Dizon to waivers, in order to free up a roster spot.
Prior to the initial roster cuts in late August, any player with fewer than four years of service must be exposed to waivers before being placed on injured reserve. The rule is aimed at preventing teams from stashing young players.
Technically, a player can be placed immediately onto injured reserve, like the Bears did with running back Harvey Unga. But they won’t pick up another roster spot as a result of the maneuver.
Dizon has appeared in 28 games over two NFL seasons, but with zero starts.