The Detroit Lions filled the last spot on their 53-man roster Thursday by signing wide receiver Tom Kennedy off the practice squad, and backfilled that vacancy with defensive back Natrone Brooks, a 26-year-old who spent the last four offseasons with the Atlanta Falcons and moved from cornerback to safety this offseason. The club needed a 53rd body before Sunday’s opener against the Saints at Ford Field. Brooks gives Detroit insurance at safety while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are out. The Lions have not said whether Brooks will dress primarily at safety or as extra defensive-back depth.
Kennedy has been in the building in some capacity every season since 2019. He can play all three receiver spots and is the plan on punt returns, with kickoff work still in play. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp confirmed Kennedy will return punts Sunday — a 16.7-yard average last season after he filled in for Kalif Raymond. That return job is the football reason Kennedy beat other practice-squad names onto the 53, not a ceremonial recall.
Dan Campbell said this is the best position the secondary has been in without Branch and Joseph in a long time. He called Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark reliable and highly competitive, the same for Rock Ya-Sin and D.J. Reed, and listed Roger McCreary, Keith Abney II and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the mix: “Listen, I like where we’re at.” The same report said Joseph has returned to the team after being away for personal reasons. That is not a clearance to play. It is Campbell saying the room is deeper than it looked when both starting safeties first went down.
Injury Report Clears for Opener
Thursday was the first real practice of the week. Wednesday’s designations were estimates because the Lions did not practice. Christian Izien (groin), Derrick Moore (hamstring) and Mekhi Wingo (groin) were the only players listed as limited, the same three as Wednesday. Thomas Harper (ankle), Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (ankle), Keith Abney II (hand), Trevor Nowaske (knee) and Jimmy Rolder (hamstring) all practiced fully. Nobody slid backward from Wednesday to Thursday.
Moore’s hamstring, Wingo’s groin and Izien’s lingering groin are the names still on the watch list. Izien and Moore are the ones who change the Week 1 defense if they cannot go. The rest of the listed group being full two days in a row is the cleaner half of the report. Friday is the game-status checkpoint — questionable, doubtful, or out — before Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff against the Saints.
Seven Captains Named for 2026
The club named seven captains for 2026: Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell on offense, Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell and first-time captain Alim McNeill on defense, and Jack Fox on special teams. McNeill’s first captaincy is the new line on a defense that already had Hutchinson and Jack Campbell wearing the C.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing called St. Brown one of the better players he has ever been around, citing the leadership, intensity and physicality. That is the standard Petzing is asking the new offensive scheme to match, and it is why St. Brown sits with Goff and Sewell in the offensive captain group rather than as a complimentary mention.
Cap Math Requires Adjustment
Detroit sits roughly $10.3 million under the cap on top-51 accounting and is projected about $3 million over once every contract counts. That swing is the regular-season math, not a surprise hole. Practice-squad contracts and inactive players come onto the books when the 53 is set, and the projection goes from under to slightly over.
General manager Brad Holmes can restructure Jared Goff’s contract again. A restructure only pushes the charge into later seasons. It does not create new money. It is the usual lever when the 53 and the practice squad are fully counted and the club still needs room for in-season roster moves after Sunday.
Coordinators Preview Week 1
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said the unit has moved past learning assignments and into the “why” behind the calls, the year-two depth that lets the staff ask more of the playbook. Year one was installation. Year two is the part where the same calls can be dressed up because the players already know the assignment. He also said he has had to hold back talking about McNeill after the defensive tackle’s camp, calling him explosive and healthy following the ACL recovery.
Dave Fipp said about 11 players will debut on special teams against the Saints, with Sunday about setting a baseline for a unit that turned over this offseason. Kennedy is the return-game piece of that plan. The rest of the new names on coverage and return units will be judged against that first-game tape, not against last year’s roster.
This article was created by aggregating Detroit Lions news using Artificial Intelligence.
