The Lions are back in the familiar business of scanning practice squads for help, and this time the need is sitting in the secondary.
With safety Avonte Maddox done for the year after a foot injury that will require surgery, and Kerby Joseph plus Brian Branch both on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Detroit’s depth is thin enough that Brad Holmes is once again looking at outside options. The team already added Jalen Mills to the practice squad on Monday, but that still leaves room for more maneuvering before Week 3 against the New York Jets.
Holmes has made a habit of working this lane when injuries hit. In 2024, Detroit dipped into other teams’ practice squads for bodies like Myles Adams, Kwon Alexander and Jonah Williams to stabilize the defense. Last year, the Lions also brought in Jammie Robinson from the Chiefs’ practice squad for a brief run.
There are limits on how this works, of course. Players can be signed off another team’s practice squad to an active roster, but they have to stay on that active roster, or be paid like they’re on it, for at least three weeks. And because teams can’t sign a player off the practice squad of a team they’re facing within six days of the game, the Lions won’t be able to take anyone from the Jets if they decide to make a move this week.
Still, a few names stand out.
One obvious possibility is former Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, now with the Buccaneers. He was a third-round pick in Holmes’ first draft as GM, and he’s already been elevated for Tampa Bay’s first two games.
Injuries never let him settle in during his time in Detroit, where he managed just one full season and 37 total games across four years. Even so, he left behind some real moments, including the division-clinching interception against Minnesota in 2023 and the strong stretch that carried into the postseason that year.
Detroit did not make a major push to keep Melifonwu once his rookie deal ended, but he’d bring immediate scheme familiarity if the Lions wanted a veteran who already knows the system. Tampa Bay also has used two of its three possible elevations on him, so he could be available if the Buccaneers don’t see a bigger role ahead.
Another familiar face is DeShon Hallett, who spent parts of two seasons with the Lions before Tennessee claimed him at the end of last year. He didn’t make the Titans’ roster out of camp, but he has been elevated in both of their games.
Hallett also knows Detroit’s defensive setup and appeared in three games last season during Kelvin Sheppard’s first year as defensive coordinator. He was part of the team’s “Legion of Whom” effort against the Buccaneers and logged 119 defensive snaps over those three appearances.
If Detroit wants to go younger, Ty Wisniewski is the name to watch. The Eagles’ seventh-round pick didn’t make their roster out of camp, which makes him available. His college résumé is plenty strong: he started at North Dakota State, won two FCS national championships and earned First Team All-American honors in 2023 before finishing at Texas Tech, where he started every game and posted an 83.9 PFF overall defensive grade.
Wisniewski also saw the field in one preseason game for Philadelphia this year, playing 20 snaps and earning a 68.6 defensive grade against the Patriots.
In Other News...
Lions' Alex Anzalone Decision Looks Smarter With Every Week
When the Lions let Alex Anzalone walk and turned more of the linebacker room over to Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell, it looked like a bet on youth and development. Early in the 2026 season, that choice has only gained support in Detroit, with Barnes flashing the kind of playmaking the Lions hoped for, including a two-sack opener that reminded everyone why the team was comfortable moving in a different direction.
Anzalone has settled into a tougher start with Tampa Bay, where missed tackles have been part of the early story even as Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has stayed publicly confident in him. From the Lions side, it has been a clean validation of a personnel call that looked risky at the time, but now reads more like a prudent reset of the defense around younger, faster answers. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Defensive Collapse Is Fueling A Brad Holmes Debate
Two games into the 2026 season, the Lions defense has been pushed to the center of the conversation in Detroit after allowing 915 total yards and 71 points. The struggles have not just been about execution on the field. They have also reopened an old front-office debate about whether general manager Brad Holmes did enough in the offseason and through the draft to give this roster the kind of defensive depth it needed.
The concern goes beyond one bad stretch, because the roster holes are showing up in the same places again and again, especially at cornerback, safety and in the pass rush. Injuries to key safeties have only made the problem more visible, and with so much of the pressure falling on Aidan Hutchinson to create disruption, the Lions are leaning heavily on one star to cover for a unit that still looks short on answers. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Secondary Depth Is Suddenly A Real Concern Before The Jets
The Lions are heading into Week 3 with a secondary that suddenly needs help, and the front office is treating it like a real issue, not a minor patch job. General manager Brad Holmes is reportedly looking around for defensive depth, including possible additions from other teams practice squads, as Detroit tries to steady itself before the trip to face the Jets.
Dan Campbell confirmed Holmes is doing that work, which tells you the Lions are at least preparing for more than just a short-term adjustment. Among the names in play are Melifonwu, Hallett and Wisniewski, with the appeal coming either from prior familiarity with Detroits defense or the fact that they are available elsewhere, but the bigger question is how quickly the Lions can turn that search into something useful. [Read more 🡒]