The Detroit Lions signed a pair of veteran wide receivers to their practice squad in an effort to find another reliable option for Jared Goff.

Outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the Lions are relatively thin at the wide receiver position. As it stands, there are just two others on roster at the position in Isaiah Williams and Kalif Raymond.

A fifth player, Tom Kennedy, was elevated from the practice squad for Week 1. However, moving forward there is an expectation that one of Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson or Donovan Peoples-Jones could be elevated from the practice squad to help the offense.

When asked if Patrick was on track to debut in the near future, Campbell pointed to the ongoing competition between all the options in an effort to find the best solution for the team’s receiver depth.

“All of those guys are competing. When you’re on the vet squad, every day you put in the work and our eyes are open,” Campbell said. “I told them all that last week, so we’re paying close attention to him, Robinson as well. All our options are on the table and we’ll just take it as it comes.”

Patrick was the premier addition to the practice squad, as reports surfaced of his intentions to join the Lions surfaced shortly after cuts were finalized. He has missed each of the last two seasons with significant injuries, but there is optimism that he can be a contributor in the near future.

He may not debut for the Lions this week, but Detroit did clear a spot on the active roster by waiving defensive lineman Chris Smith. The Lions have roster flexibility as a result, and how they decide to use it will be intriguing.

 

RODRIGUEZ’S ROLE

Third-year linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez missed all of the preseason with a hamstring injury, and as a result missed out on valuable reps. However, he has clearly established a level of trust within the coaching staff throughout his first two campaigns.

As a result, he played a role on the defensive side in the Week 1 win with 14 snaps. The Oklahoma State product started 15 games as a rookie in 2022, but played a limited role in 2023 while also getting some action at fullback.

Detroit has established an overall strong linebacking corps, with Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell leading the way. However, the performance of Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin has left Campbell and position coach Kelvin Sheppard feeling confident about playing any of the team’s options at any point.

“We have no problem with Rodrigo playing. There’s a lot of trust, now, and faith in him. He’s a smart, conscientious player. We do feel like he improved, even before he had the injury, and then when he came back, the hammy’s good, he picked it up pretty quick for the time that he was able to get back in there. When you trust your guys to go in there and help you, man, that takes a load off. Our linebackers do so much for us, all of them, (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) Germ, Rodrigo, Alex, Barnes, Jack, even (Ben) Niemann.”

As a result of the depth, the Lions can keep their options fresh at all points. While Anzalone, Barnes and Campbell are expected to take the majority of the reps, the ability to also utilize Rodriguez, Reeves-Maybin and Niemann without missing a beat can keep everyone healthy through the late parts of the season.

“So with all of those, we spread the load with them because we trust them,” Campbell explained. “They can take reps off each other between special teams and defense. That’s how you get production but you’re also, you get down into December, January, I think this is gonna help us out too.”

NOTES

Safety Brian Branch had strong moments in the season-opening win, but also had multiple missed tackles and dropped interceptions. The end result saw him finsh among the team’s lowest PFF-graded players with a 55.2 overall defensive grade.

While the struggles are by no means indicative of his overall ability, as he is one of the best defensive playmakers on the roster, Branch took accountability for his struggles and told Campbell he would right the wrongs from Sunday’s game.

“BB – I already talked about Kerby (Joseph), I thought Kerby did a good job, and BB made a lot of plays, but then one of the first things he says when he’s coming back in the locker room, he’s like, ‘I won’t miss those tackles anymore.’ So, he knows it and he’s really one of our best tacklers in general,” Campbell said Monday. “He’s got his first game under his belt. But all in all, just cleaning up some of the communication, but I thought it was promising where our D-backs are at.”

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

The Detroit Lions have named six players to represent them as captains for the 2024 season.

With the regular season set to kick off Sunday, the Lions announced the six players who earned the leadership role, including Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, Alex Anzalone, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Aidan Hutchinson.

The Lions are allowed to have up to eight players wear the captain patch on their jersey, per league rules. Teams used to be able to have up to 10 representatives wearing the patch, but the league lessened the amount to eight prior to the 2023 campaign.

Last season, Goff, Anzalone, Sewell, Reeves-Maybin, St. Brown and defensive end Charles Harris were the team’s six captains.

While up to eight players can be named captains, teams can only send a maximum of six players out to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

Goff, Sewell and St. Brown earned hefty contract extensions this offseason for their performance since arriving in Detroit in 2021. Sewell and St. Brown were First-team All-Pro selections last year as two of the highest performing players in the league at their positions.

For Goff, the 2023 season was also a successful one. He finished top five in the league in passing yards and touchdowns and won two playoff games.

Reeves-Maybin, meanwhile, was an NFLPA All-Pro selection as a core special teamer in his first season back with the Lions. He also earned Pro Bowl honors for his performance in that aspect of the game.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson is a first-time captain selection as he begins his third year out of Michigan.

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The Detroit Lions had several key players dealing with injuries at points throughout training camp. Particularly, the team was hit with a number of ailments in the secondary.

With the regular season opener set for Sunday, the Lions appear to be getting healthier. Coach Dan Campbell said most of the group is ready to go for practice this week, but safety Ifeatu Melifonwu still has a lingering injury issue that continues to bother him.

“Iffy’d be the only right now who’s still not sure,” Campbell said. “Still not sure on him. We’re gonna try to get him moving around a little bit today and tomorrow and see where he’s at. Everyone else, we’re good.”

Melifonwu has been dealing with this injury throughout the preseason. His status is uncertain for Week 1, though the Lions are hoping to get him going in practice this week to evaluate where he stands.

“It’s really something that’s just been lingering, even before that,” Campbell explained. “It’s slow moving, that’s all. It’s slow healing. Take it as it comes.”

The Syracuse product was a breakout player at the end of last season. While injuries have hampered much of his first three seasons, Melifonwu made good on his opportunity in the starting lineup late in the year.

Melifonwu started six games last year and finished the season with two interceptions, three sacks and 33 combined tackles. He also had eight total passes defensed.

The Lions will have Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch as projected starters at the safety position. Joseph has paced the defense in interceptions in each of his first two NFL seasons, while Branch emerged as a dynamic playmaker while playing the nickel position a season ago.

The update is encouraging for the rest of the group of players who had been injured throughout training camp, including tight end Sam LaPorta, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis.

LaPorta and Gibbs had been dealing with hamstring injuries, while Arnold had suffered a pectoral injury in practice ahead of Detroit’s second preseason game.

Several players who had been out at points in training camp had previously returned to practice following the preseason finale. This group included Davis, Arnold, Gibbs, LaPorta, offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.

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With Tuesday set as the deadline for teams to trim their roster to 53 players, the Detroit Lions made their first round of roster cuts.

Detroit is reportedly set to release wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and waive wide receiver Kaden Davis, according to reports.

Peoples-Jones had struggled to find his footing throughout training camp. After being believed to be a potential successor to Josh Reynolds, the Michigan product was unable to assert himself amidst Detroit’s wide receiver competition.

The Lions initially acquired Peoples-Jones in a trade deadline deal last season. He made five catches for 58 yards with the team last season. In his career, he has totaled 122 receptions for 1,895 yards and eight touchdowns.

Davis was initially a rookie minicamp tryout player who impressed and earned a contract. He was viewed as another one of the competitors for the vacancy at wide receiver, and caught a 61-yard touchdown from Nate Sudfeld in the second preseason game.

Players with three or fewer accrued seasons are subject to the waiver wire, meaning teams around the league can place claims on them. Those who have four or more seasons hit free agency and could re-sign with the Lions, either on the active roster or the practice squad.

Should the waived players go unclaimed, they could return to Detroit on its practice squad. The Lions can begin building their 16-player practice squad Wednesday at Noon.

Detroit could also add a 17th player to their practice squad through the NFL’s International Player Pathways program, which allows teams to add a player born outside of the United States and Canada without counting against the 16-player limit.

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions