In a shocking turn of events, the Detroit Lions will waived cornerback Mike Ford. He played well throughout the preseason. And overall, he had a respectable showing at training camp. Despite that, the Lions are departing with the special teams guru.

Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press was the first to confirm his departure.

Ford posted a cryptic message on his Instagram, thanking the city of Detroit before Birkett confirmed the news.

After Ford’s waiving, that now makes two notable rosters cuts by the Lions ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Before Ford, the Detroit Lions release wide receiver Breshad Perriman. And he, too, was a player that many expected to make the team. Perriman and Ford are the first of 27 cuts the Lions must make.

All 32 NFL clubs must trim their rosters to at least 53 players by 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Detroit Lions cornerback Mike Ford (2) during the first half of a preseason game at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.

Mike Ford entered the Lions’ training camp as their nickel back, in addition to his duties on special teams, where he was a key contributor. Because of that, his release comes as a shock to some. However, it’s not too shocking if anyone were to take Dan Campbell as a man of his word.

Almost two weeks ago, Dan Campbell discussed what he and his staff were evaluating regarding the 53-man roster. Specifically, he talked about the best fit for the season’s start vs. the long-term fit.

“Those hard ones, but those are ones that we’ve talked about,” said Campbell. “And, you know, I think the end game has always been what’s best for us long-term, ultimately. However, not at the expense of us being non-competitive or not having a chance to compete. You know, not at that expense.”

“Look, we’ve good a lot of young guys on this roster that we like. And a lot of them need development, but we like them. And so we’ll just see where this thing plays out…we have conversations every night, every day about this stuff.”

With undrafted rookie A.J. Parker raising his stock and the potential in rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu, the Lions could see them as better long-term fits than Ford.

Follow Kory Woods on Twitter at KoryEWoods.