The Lions have two open roster spots, but they may not be planning to fill them
Detroit has done versions of this before, and NFL practice-squad rules can make an empty roster spot considerably more useful than it looks.
The Detroit Lions are sitting at 51 roster spots filled right now, and everybody seems to be asking the same question: Who are they going to add? But I think we’ve been looking at this from the wrong point of view. After forming their initial 53-man roster two Sundays ago and then cutting both running back Jabari Small and center Seth McLaughlin a few days later, the Lions have stayed put. No outside additions. No practice squad promotions. And as more time goes by, I’m starting to lean toward the idea that Detroit isn’t going to do anything. They’re going to keep it at 51, maybe 52, and ride that strategy all year.
The Lions tried this last season
If you go back to how the 2025 season started, the Lions did something similar. They kept their roster at 52 spots for weeks. From Aug. 29 to Sept. 6, they had 52 players. From Sept. 9 to Sept. 10, 52 players. Sept. 24 and 25, 52 players. It wasn’t until the end of September, roughly three to four weeks into the season, that Detroit finally carried a full 53-man roster going forward.
The Lions cycled guys in and out of that open spot early on. Week 1, they dropped Chris Smith into it. Week 2, they plugged in Kyle Peko, who stuck around for a bit. But the pattern was clear: Detroit wanted flexibility.
Now, part of the reason they stayed at 52 so often was injuries. D.J. Reed went to IR. Daniel Thomas went to IR. Marcus Davenport, Jamarco Jones, Shane Zylstra, all to IR. So it didn’t necessarily work as cleanly as the Lions wanted right off the bat. But the initial plan was to keep a spot open and play the practice squad elevation game.
How the roster gymnastics actually work
Here’s where it gets clever. Let’s say the Lions want to elevate wide receiver Tom Kennedy for Week 1. Kennedy only gets three practice squad elevations for the entire year. If Detroit burns one right away, that leaves just two for a season that stretches into January. That’s a problem.
But what the Lions could do instead is sign Kennedy to the 53-man roster for Week 1, play him, maybe play him again in Week 2, and then release him. Because Kennedy is a vested veteran, he won’t have to clear waivers. Detroit releases him and signs him right back to the practice squad. Now he still has all three of his elevations available, yet he’s already played two games.
You’re playing roster gymnastics. I get that. You put yourself at risk if you tried this with younger players who could get claimed. But with veterans like Kennedy or Smith, there’s a handshake deal in place. The Lions could run this all season long if they wanted to. Sign him to the 53 for a couple weeks, take him off, put him back on, take him back off. Kennedy gets paid a 53-man roster salary sometimes and a practice squad salary other times. It might feel like a hassle for the player, but it works for Detroit because the Lions always have a spot open for flexibility.
What to watch for this week
We’re going to find out soon. The Lions typically make their roster transactions on Tuesdays. If they don’t do anything Tuesday, the next window is Saturday, when you’d see the first practice squad elevation of the week. If Detroit doesn’t make a move by either of those days, that’s a strong signal they’re doing exactly what I think they’re doing: keeping a roster spot open all year.
If it were me, I’d elevate Kennedy for Week 1, then elevate him again in Week 2 to burn off two elevations fast. After that, sign him to the 53-man roster. If you need the spot open again, release him, and suddenly you’ve got all three elevations back. You could play this game all season.
We’ll see how it plays out.
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