The Lions are looking at a receiver room that suddenly feels thin, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the kind of veteran who makes sense if Detroit wants more certainty on the 53-man roster.
Detroit kept only four wideouts on cut day: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Tay Martin.
St. Brown and Williams are the headliners.
TeSlaa is still mostly an unknown as he heads into his second season, and Martin is expected to do most of his work on special teams. That leaves little margin for error.
The team also created two openings by waiving running back Jabari Small and offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin. Both players could end up back on the practice squad because of late-camp injuries, but for now those are two spots Detroit can use.
One possibility would be to elevate Tom Kennedy and lean on him for receiver depth. Another is to go after a more established name, and Westbrook-Ikhine fits that description. He’s on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad, and because of the NFL’s poaching rules, the Lions could sign him directly to the 53-man roster.
Westbrook-Ikhine brings six NFL seasons of experience into the 2026 campaign. Across 93 career games, he has 137 catches for 1,862 yards and 19 touchdowns. He spent five seasons with the Tennessee Titans before playing last year with the Miami Dolphins.
At his best, he’d give Detroit a dependable second option in the passing game. He could also be useful insurance if TeSlaa gets off to a slow start after what was described as an up-and-down training camp.
There’s also a reason Westbrook-Ikhine is available in the first place: he didn’t make the Colts’ final roster. That raises the obvious question of what he has left at this stage. Even so, with the Lions’ depth chart the way it is, he still looks like a usable piece.
Detroit’s surprise decision to cut veteran slot receiver Greg Dortch only sharpened the need. Dortch was expected to replace Kalif Raymond, and Westbrook-Ikhine would bring a different type of body to the room since he’s more of an outside receiver. Still, he could supply a similar veteran presence.
The issue is special teams. Westbrook-Ikhine has more than 700 special teams snaps on his résumé, but none of them have come as a returner. That matters for Detroit after Dortch’s release.
Kennedy, by contrast, has handled both punt and kick returns, so he fits that need much better. It’s not clear the Lions want to spend both open roster spots on receivers, and if return work is a priority, Kennedy is the cleaner answer.
Still, with TeSlaa’s inconsistency in camp and preseason, there’s a real case for Detroit adding another proven wideout. Westbrook-Ikhine would give the offense a steadier hand.
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Detroit is already looking at outside options, and the list includes Trayveon Williams, Raheem Mostert and Antonio Gibson as possible depth signings. It is the kind of early-season adjustment teams would rather avoid, but for a Lions offense that has leaned on stability and balance, the next move at running back could matter sooner than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]