The Detroit Lions made a small but notable shuffle on their practice squad Tuesday afternoon, swapping out veteran nose tackle Chris Smith and bringing back rookie nose tackle Aidan Keanaaina.
Smith had earned respect inside the building and saw early work during training camp and the preseason. After his game against the Bengals in August, Lions coach Dan Campbell offered a strong endorsement of the 26-year-old.
“He just does everything right,” Campbell said. “He does all the little things right.
He doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He’s the guy you love to coach because he’s up here all offseason, works his tail off, is always trying to hone his game.
He plays disciplined football.”
Even with that kind of praise and a solid preseason, Smith did not land on the 53-man roster. He spent the first six weeks on the practice squad before the Lions made the move to replace him.
Keanaaina is hardly a new face in Detroit. The Lions put real money behind him as an undrafted rookie, giving him the largest guarantee in the team’s UDFA class at $267,500. His path hit a snag in training camp, though, when an injury sent him to injured reserve before he was later released with an injury settlement.
That settlement has now run its course, opening the door for Keanaaina to return and continue his development with the Lions. Given Detroit’s thin depth at nose tackle, there’s at least a chance he ends up seeing game action later this season, though he’ll need time to get back into football shape first.
Keanaaina now rejoins a UDFA group that includes five other players in the organization: EDGE Eric O’Neill on the active roster, quarterback Luke Altmyer, tight end Miles Kitselman, EDGE Anthony Lucas and safety Aamaris Brown. Kitselman also came back after his injury settlement expired.
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