Detroit Lions release former Wisconsin cornerback

The Detroit Lions released former Wisconsin cornerback Rachad Wildgoose on Monday. Wildgoose was one of the Lions’ Monday roster cuts as the team worked to trim its roster to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

The former Badger had just signed with the Lions on Aug. 21, less than one week earlier.

Wildgoose is still in search of a consistent NFL home after originally joining the league as a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 NFL draft.

He failed to make the Bills roster in 2021, spending much of the year on team’s the practice squad. The cornerback was then signed to the New York Jets active roster on Nov. 16, 2021, where he played five games and totaled three tackles.

Wildgoose’s winding NFL career then took a stop in Washington. He played 15 games for the Commanders in 2022, starting three games and tallying 16 total tackles. He was later released entering the 2023 season.

The former Badger did not play professional football again until July, 2024 when he signed with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He quickly jumped up to the NFL with the Lions on Aug. 21, though was then released earlier this week.

Wildgoose played for three years at Wisconsin (2018-2020). He was a standout on the 2019 defense, totaling 22 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception and six pass deflections. He then suffered an injury early during the 2020 season and later declared for the upcoming NFL draft.

The former Badger is in the midst of an NFL comeback attempt. That quest will need to begin on a team’s practice squad.

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