The Lions are back in the market for safety help, and Brad Holmes may once again have to dig into other teams’ practice squads to patch things together.
Detroit’s depth at the position has taken a hit fast. Avonte Maddox is done for the season after a foot injury that will require surgery, and both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The Lions already added Jalen Mills to the practice squad on Monday, but with Week 3 against the New York Jets on deck, more help may still be needed.
Holmes has been down this road before. In 2024, when injuries piled up, he brought in players like Myles Adams, Kwon Alexander and Jonah Williams to bolster the defense.
Last year, Detroit also signed Jammie Robinson off the Chiefs’ practice squad for a brief run. Now, with another thin spot to address, the Lions could be eyeing the same kind of move again.
One name that stands out is safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, listed here as Melifonwu, a familiar face from Holmes’ first draft class.
Detroit took him in the third round, and he’s currently with the Buccaneers after appearing in the first two games of the season as an elevation. His Lions tenure was interrupted by injuries, limiting him to one full season and 37 games across four years, but he still had moments that mattered, including the division-clinching interception against Minnesota in 2023 and a strong stretch that carried into the playoffs.
Tampa Bay has already used two of its three possible elevations, which could make him available if the Bucs don’t have bigger plans for him.
Another option is Hallett, who spent parts of two seasons with Detroit before the Titans picked him up after last year ended. He didn’t make Tennessee’s roster out of camp, but he has been elevated in both of their games.
Hallett knows the Lions’ system and saw action in three games last season during Kelvin Sheppard’s first year as defensive coordinator. He was also part of the team’s “Legion of Whom” group against the Buccaneers and logged 119 defensive snaps across those three appearances.
If Detroit wants a younger swing, Wisniewski brings a different profile. The Eagles seventh-round pick didn’t make their roster, which leaves him available to be poached.
He started his college career at North Dakota State, where he won two FCS national titles and earned First Team All-American honors in 2023 before finishing at Texas Tech. There, he started every game and posted an 83.9 PFF overall defensive grade.
This preseason, he played 20 snaps in one game against the Patriots and received a 68.6 defensive grade.
There is one wrinkle in any possible move this week: teams can’t sign a player off the practice squad of an opponent they’re facing within six days of the game. That means the Lions won’t be able to take someone from the Jets if they decide to make a move now. And once a player is poached, he has to stay on the active roster, or be paid as if he is, for at least three weeks.
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Lions Badly Need Cade Mays Back For This Brutal Stretch
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Mays could be back by mid-October after the bye week, which would give Detroit some much-needed stability before a stretch that includes games against the Packers and Vikings. Both opponents can bring serious defensive pressure, so getting the starting center back in the middle of the line would be a timely boost for a unit that badly needs one. [Read more 🡒]
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Campbell backed up the critique with specific numbers and made it clear this is less about one bad Sunday than the standard the Lions have to meet going forward. For a team with real expectations, the warning was straightforward: the talent is there, but the discipline and fundamentals have to catch up if Detroit wants the early inconsistency to stay early. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Fans Have One Real Concern About This Jets Matchup
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From Detroits side, the intrigue is less about sentiment than about timing. The Lions have leaned on their offense to carry them through stretches when the defense has wobbled, while the Jets have already shown under their new setup that they can hang in close games, opening with a win over the Titans before dropping a tight one to the Packers in overtime last season. For Lions fans, the real concern is how Glenns new group might test a defense that has not always been the teams most reliable edge. [Read more 🡒]