The Lions just added a veteran return specialist, but Tom Kennedy’s replacement job is far from settled
Detroit is adding 33-year-old DeAndre Carter to the practice squad as it searches for a new punt returner, but the veteran will still have to compete for the job.
The Detroit Lions had a big win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, but they also suffered a notable loss in that game when punt returner Tom Kennedy went down with a season-ending injury.
On Monday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said the Lions had some in-house possibilities to replace him, but Amon-Ra St. Brown was not going to be one of them. Or at least they didn’t want him to be one of them. He also said they could look outside.
“As of right now, I don’t have an answer for you on contingency. I would rather not have [Lions WR Amon-Ra] St. Brown back there for a whole game taking punts,” Campbell said. “I see him, he’ll probably have some depending on where we’re at on the field, but I don’t want him to be our full-time punt returner. So, we’ve got a couple of in-house candidates. We’re looking for some guys, [Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager] Brad [Holmes], and then we’re looking right now to see what’s out there, what’s available. So, luckily we’re not crunched to have to do anything just yet, but we’re already looking.”
The Lions looked outside, and per Tom Pelissero of The Ringer, the Lions will sign a veteran wide receiver.
Lions will sign DeAndre Carter to their practice squad
The Lions opened up the spot earlier in the week when they released safety Jalen Mills. Now 33-year-old DeAndre Carter gets a shot.
He’s been in the league since 2015 and has spent time with the Ravens, Eagles, Texans, Bears, Commanders, Chargers, Raiders, and most recently the Browns in 2025.
Carter has been a return specialist for most of his career. He did handle returns for Cleveland in 2025, finishing with 56 punt return yards on six attempts and 274 kick return yards on 11 attempts.
That wasn’t really a full-time return role, though. The last time Carter handled something closer to a full season’s worth of return work was in 2024 with the Bears, when he had 153 punt return yards and 329 kick return yards.
That’s exactly why Detroit is bringing him in.
I wouldn’t look at Carter as the sure-fire Kennedy replacement right out of the gate. He’s going to have to compete for the role, and I still think Dominic Lovett might have the best claim to it at this point.
We’ll see what happens next week when the Lions return to practice.
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