Lions waive defensive tackle John Atkins

The Detroit Lions continued to shuffle the back end of the team's defensive line depth chart on Wednesday, waiving defensive tackle John Atkins. 

The 6-foot-3, 320-pounder had been with the Lions since 2018, signing with the franchise after going undrafted out of Georgia earlier that year. He split time between Detroit's practice squad and active roster the next two seasons, appearing in 14 games, including six starts in 2019. 

Atkins opted out of the 2020 season and wasn't on the field for the team's OTA practice open to the media last week. 

The move comes on the heels of the Lions losing lineman Joel Heath to a reported ACL tear last week and signing veteran defensive tackle Brian Price on Tuesday. 

Atkins' release opens up a roster spot ahead of next week's mandatory minicamp.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers