Two wide receivers have been elevated by the Detroit Lions for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that they are qualified to participate on Sunday, Tom Kennedy and Tim Patrick may join Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Kalif Raymond as wide receivers. With youngster Isaiah Williams officially declared out and Jameson Williams questionable due to an ankle issue, the Lions are a tad thin at the wide position. Jameson Williams practiced (albeit in limited capacity) each of the three days this week, so there’s currently no reason to anticipate that he won’t miss the game on Sunday.
Kennedy, however, provides the Lions with some additional insurance at every wideout position. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, gave an explanation of the decision to promote Kennedy from the practice squad last week earlier in the week. “He’s a little bit of a blankie for us because we know he can play every receiver spot, including X, F, and Z, if something were to happen,” Johnson remarked. “We have a lot of faith in his abilities, and I believe that’s why we gave him the go-ahead last week.”
Kennedy has already been promoted twice from the practice squad, which is noteworthy. Only three player elevations are permitted in a season. Kennedy will therefore only be eligible to play for Detroit for the remainder of the season if he is signed to the 53-man roster if Detroit uses his final elevation next week.
Patrick, the more fascinating call-up from the practice squad, inked a contract with the Lions following his release by the Broncos during the team’s final cutdowns. Having played for six years, Patrick has started 37 games in his career. He suffered severe injuries in the last two seasons (torn Achilles in 2023, ACL in 2022), but before those setbacks, he produced consecutive seasons of 700 yards and 11 touchdowns. With just two and a half weeks on the team, Patrick is the front-runner to take over the WR-X position for the Lions, though it’s unknown how big of a part that will be.
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