Kicker Jason Hanson will be with the Lions for the 21st straight season.
Any doubt about Hanson’s place on the team’s roster was eliminated Monday when Tim Twentyman of the team’s website reported that Derek Dimke has been told he’ll be released ahead of Monday afternoon’s deadline to get down to 75 players. Hanson shared a locker room with the likes of Barry Sanders, Andre Ware and Bennie Blades in his first season and it probably goes without saying that he’s the only player from that team still active in the NFL.
Per Twentyman, the Lions have also told fullback James Bryant, receiver Jarett Dillard, running back Stephfon Green, safety Sean Jones, guard Jacques McClendon, linebacker Slade Norris, guard J.C. Oram, defensive tackle Bobby Skinner and receiver Terrence Toliver to turn in their playbooks before heading off to the next stop on their journeys.
The Lions have five more moves to make before the 4 p.m. deadline. One name to watch is running back Jahvid Best, who hasn’t been medically cleared and is expected to go on the physically-unable-to-perform list to start the season.