The Detroit Lions, along with the other 31 teams in the NFL, had to submit their initial 53-man rosters by the 4 pm ET deadline on Tuesday.
Despite this deadline, teams will still be tinkering with their 53-man rosters in the coming days and signing guys to their practice squad. The Lions are one of those teams making changes to their roster, trading veteran receiver Tim Patrick to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday morning.
It was shocking to see the Lions move on from Patrick, given he was re-signed on a one-year deal and played well as Detroit’s WR3. However, Detroit was pleased with what they saw from rookie Isaac TeSlaa in the preseason, making Patrick expendable.
That being said, the Lions’ wide receiver depth leaves much to be desired after Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and TeSlaa. Therefore, Detroit decided to bring back a familiar face to the practice squad.
The Lions are re-signing both C Trystan Colon and WR Tom Kennedy to the practice squad. Couple vets who were with the team all summer.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) August 27, 2025
Lions Sign Veteran WR Tom Kennedy to Practice Squad on Wednesday
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions signed veteran wide receiver Tom Kennedy to the practice squad. Kennedy was with the Lions throughout the summer, but was among the many veterans cut ahead of the 4 pm ET deadline.
The 29-year-old Kennedy had four receptions for 27 yards in the preseason. At the beginning of this year, Detroit signed the former Bryant wide receiver to a futures deal, giving him another chance to compete for a roster spot.
Kennedy appeared in four games last year, where he saw a small number of snaps on offense (16) and special teams (20). The veteran wide receiver has spent his entire NFL career with the Lions, who took a chance on him as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Throughout his career with Detroit, Kennedy has proven to be a premier practice squad player whom they can depend on when called upon. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound wideout has played in 24 NFL games with 14 receptions (26 targets) for 195 yards on his resume.
That being said, if the Lions were to suffer an injury to any of their starting wide receivers this season, Detroit would look to add someone in free agency before going to the practice squad. However, having Kennedy waiting in the wings as extra insurance on the taxi squad isn’t bad either.