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Lions cut Robert Ayers, one day after signing

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- One day after Robert Ayers signed with the Detroit Lions, the franchise cut the veteran defensive lineman for unknown reasons.

Detroit brought Ayers in to theoretically help the team's struggling front seven. He practiced Monday. Lions coach Matt Patricia took two questions on Ayers on Tuesday morning. Then Ayers wasn't at practice less than an hour after Patricia's daily news conference.

His locker looked extremely sparse -- even for a player who just arrived -- with his towel neatly on his chair and his jersey hung neatly in his locker. An hour after the locker room session ended -- Ayers was a no-show there, too -- the Lions announced he was cut.

Detroit had hoped Ayers could give the Lions some pass-rushing help; his signing was one of two moves the team made in the past week, along with trading for Eli Harold.

"Another guy that obviously has some good experience that we could bring in," Patricia said of Ayers while he was still -- briefly -- on the roster. "Has been pretty productive in the NFL in a couple different places and has some versatility to him. So it'll be a good opportunity for us to just take a look and see how that fits us."

That look lasted one practice and a little more than 24 hours.

A message left with Ayers' agents was not immediately returned to ESPN.

Ayers, 32, played in 120 games with Denver, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants in his career. He has made 264 career tackles with 35 sacks and nine forced fumbles.