ALLEN PARK — Brandon Joseph was waived over the weekend amid a flurry of roster moves by the Detroit Lions.

Joseph had earned praise earlier in the week for his showing when sliding into the team’s gunner position on special teams after Khalil Dorsey’s season-ending injury. So, the weekend transaction raised some initial eyebrows.

The Lions also activated defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu and promoted Loren Strickland from their practice squad on Saturday. So, there was thought that Joseph was released amid an ever-changing, banged-up defensive rotation.

But then it was reported that Joseph was detained early Saturday morning for suspicion of operating under the influence.

Dearborn Heights police told the Detroit Free Press that Joseph was taken into custody for a couple of hours and released after having his blood drawn. Joseph will “go through the court process like anybody else,” per the report.

Dan Campbell commented on the matter for the first time during his Monday afternoon press conference after returning from Detroit’s 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears. The Lions head coach called it the perfect mix of a roster crunch decision and off-field distractions to cut ties with Joseph.

“Yeah, I just think it was the perfect storm is what it was,” Campbell said. “It was a little bit of both, and it was just the perfect storm of circumstances going into that last game, and so we felt like we had to make that move.”

The safety landed with the Lions after going undrafted in 2023. Joseph has spent time between the practice squad and the main roster during his time in Detroit. He appeared in 14 games and earned once start for the Lions this year.