Lions practice squad breakdown: Who could actually play in 2026 and who is really a 2027 project
Detroit brought back 14 familiar players Monday, but some are legitimate in-season depth while others are being given time to develop for 2027.
The Detroit Lions have announced their initial 2026 practice squad, and there are a bunch of guys you know, and two open spots left for guys that will be new in town. Let’s get to know some of them and try to guess just how much you’ll see them this year.
WR Tom Kennedy
I mean, you know Kennedy. We don’t even have to explain his credentials at this point. He’s been in Detroit for a while, and yet again, he’s back on the practice squad. I think it’s more than safe to say you’ll see Kennedy elevated all three allotted times, and you might even see him hit the 53-man roster at some point too.
OT Devin Cochran
The Lions needed to keep a third tackle around to be behind Larry Borom, and it makes sense that they didn’t use a 53-man roster spot for that. Cochran has quietly had a pretty good summer, and he has a ton of experience both starting at tackle and playing the swing. A good player to keep around.
DT Chris Smith
The Lions absolutely love this guy even though you’ve rarely actually seen him play in the regular season. He’s one of those guys who will do the dirty work, and Dan Campbell loves guys like that. There’s a reason I keep calling him the defensive Tom Kennedy.
TE Thomas Gordon
Another guy who has quietly had a decent summer. It’s been hard for him to stand out with Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Jackson Meeks, and Tyler Conklin ahead of him all camp, but he’s still done it. For a team that had a lot of tight end injuries last season, Gordon is a safer option than some of the guys they had to put out there last year.
WR Lucky Jackson
It felt like the battle for that final receiver spot was between Tay Martin and Lucky Jackson this summer. Martin won in the end, but Jackson only lost by a hair. You can absolutely see instances where they will elevate him this year. I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s on the field in Week 1, considering the Lions only have four receivers as we stand here now.
QB Luke Altmyer
The last thing anyone should do is judge his career by what happened in the preseason of his rookie year. Altmyer showed a lot this summer, and there were times when he looked ahead of schedule, but he needs more time on task, and he needs to work on his processing and timing. 2027 could be huge for him.
OL Mason Miller
Suddenly dropping into center for the first time ever in a preseason game is a big deal. Handling it pretty well is a bigger deal. Miller had played every offenisve line position for the Lions at this point, and I absolutely believe they want to see where things go with him. But you shouldn’t expect to see him anytime soon. Frankly, you need to hope to not see him anytime soon, because if you do, something horrible happened.
DT Ben Stille
The veteran just kept showing up to the point where, near the end of camp, I think a lot of us in the media room were having thoughts about how he might make the 53. That’s the kind of guy you want to keep around, and that’s exactly what Detroit will do. I would expect to see Stille get elevated all three times.
LB Joe Bachie
On the penultimate day of training camp, I put out a tweet that essentially said I would be shocked if Joe Bachie didn’t make the 53. Consider me shocked. The Lions were wise to bring him back because he was the epitome of a dude who kept showing up no matter what this summer. But he’s also in a crowded room. Still, I think he gets all three of his elevations this season. Maybe more.
CB Nick Whiteside
It’s still a shocker that he was not signed to the Lions’ 53-man roster. It felt like he had done more than enough to get that spot. With that said, it’s not like he shouldn’t have a chance to come from behind and grab it. There are multiple players on the 53 who shouldn’t exactly be deemed safe.
LB Amen Ogbongbemiga
The Lions like this guy, and I get it. He brought it on special teams, but he also showed up on defense in the preseason in a big way. I’m not sure how much of him we’ll see during the season, but I’m sure they’d like to grow with him.
Edge Anthony Lucas
Coming into camp, I had Lucas as my UDFA edge who would make the team, and then Eric O’Neill just kind of at his lunch. The take on him coming out of USC was that everyone was waiting for him to put it all together. Maybe he does that this year on the vet squad. I would expect him to get some elevations for sure.
DL Tyre West
Of all these guys, West might need the most time to grow with the team. He never really stood out for the Lions this summer, whether that be in camp or the preseason, but the Lions did use draft assets on him, so they understandably want to see where it can go. Not sure we’ll see any of him in 2026.
DB Aamaris Brown
Brown fits in the category of maybe being a 2027 guy. He can play both cornerback and safety, and the Lions are usually pretty in love with versatility. If he can master that, he’ll have the same show Morice Norris had in Detroit before his injury.
Detroit Lions News