The Detroit Lions have settled on their next punt returner after losing Tom Kennedy for the season with an MCL injury.
Special teams coach Dave Fipp told local reporters before Thursday’s practice that the job is going to a newcomer on the practice squad. As MLive explained, "Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp says DeAndre Carter will take over punt return duties for the team and step in as the other kick returner. The Lions signed the veteran WR shortly after Tom Kennedy's season-ending injury."
Carter is on the practice squad right now, but he looks like a strong candidate to be elevated this week. There’s also a path for him to earn a permanent spot on the active roster if he delivers in the role the Lions brought him in to handle.
Replacing Kennedy isn’t a clean swap, and wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery made that point earlier this week. He pointed to Kennedy’s versatility and the way he helps the room beyond just returning punts.
“It's more difficult than you think, because for certain instances, he is a security blanket that can actually do more than secure you,” Montgomery expressed. “He can play the F, he can play the X, he can play the Z. I can give him exactly what I want, man, and I get that information even quicker than I can from the box sometimes, because he's right there with me on the sideline.
"So, that part is difficult," Montgomery added further. "The other part is just the competitive nature that he has inside of the room, making our guys compete in the classroom, making sure everybody, the details when it's asked, is answered the right way.”
Carter brings plenty of return experience. He entered the league as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, and he has also spent time with the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears before breaking through with the Washington Commanders in 2021.
That year, he earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a receiving touchdown, the first of his career.
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