ALLEN PARK -- Martin Mayhew, the Lions general manager, said he wasn’t looking to make the team younger when he fine-tuned the roster and slashed it to 53.

It just happened that way.

“Our list of goals, getting younger wasn’t on it. It’s always about winning football games and acquiring talent. I think we tried to do that,’’ Mayhew said on Monday.

He said it was difficult to cut veterans like Jon Jansen, Dre Bly and Landon Cohen who had all had good camps.

“Jon did a great job for us, we brought him in on the tail end of his career, he really wanted to be here. It was really tough, letting him go, letting Dre go,’’ Mayhew said. “(Those are) two veteran guys who meant a lot to our team as far as leadership. We’re going to miss those guys. We made a football decision, it was the bet thing for our football team.’’

Jansen had been in a battle with Gosder Cherilus during training camp to start at right tackle.

Cherilus had started there last season and had been disappointing at times.

“We drafted him in the first round, he has to play at that level,’’ Mayhew said of Cherilus.

(Follow me on Twitter @paulapasche.)