The Detroit Lions made two roster moves on Thursday ahead of their Week 7 game against the Green Bay Packers.
Detroit signed wide receiver DeAndre Carter to the active roster from the practice squad, and filled his vacancy on the practice squad by signing veteran defensive back Myles Bryant.
Carter is expected to be the team's primary punt returner and work with Jacob Saylors on kick returns as well after Tom Kennedy suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 against Arizona.
Bryant is an intriguing addition and the latest veteran to join Detroit's secondary, albeit on the practice squad. Detroit could elect to elevate him from the practice squad up to three times before they would need to add him to the active roster to continue utilizing him.
The veteran is in his seventh NFL season, having spent four years with the New England Patriots to begin his career before playing for the Houston Texans each of the last two seasons. He had been with the Cleveland Browns' practice squad most recently, and was released by them on Oct. 13.
Bryant has played 77 career games, notching 254 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four interceptions. He has yet to appear in a game in 2026, but played 11 each of the last two years for Houston and appeared in all 17 games for the Patriots in two consecutive seasons from 2022-23.
His most productive season came in 2023, his final year with the Patriots. That year, he started nine games and notched 77 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss and an interception.
Detroit's secondary could get a boost this week, as Brian Branch is on track to play for the first time this season after rehabbing a torn Achilles suffered in December of last season. As a result, Bryant could provide depth on the practice squad or potentially be elevated to contribute on special teams.
The Washington product has logged 515 career snaps on special teams, and even has some experience returning punts for the Patriots where he had 25 returns over the 2022-23 seasons.
Prior to signing Bryant, the Lions had utilized veteran Jalen Mills as a practice squad elevation to provide depth at the safety position. Mills was released from the practice squad after playing the maximum three games.
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