The Lions still have three openings on their 53-man roster after trading Tim Patrick to the Jaguars early Tuesday.
The Detroit Lions are filling one of the vacant spots on their 53-man roster by signing former Jacksonville Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas.
Released by the Jaguars at Tuesday's roster cut deadline, Thomas was a core special teams player for Jacksonville in each of his first five NFL seasons and bolsters the Lions' depth at one of their thinnest positions. His signing will become official once he passes a physical.
The Lions kept just two true safeties when they set their initial roster, starters Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin played as the team's No. 3 safety most of training camp, though he hadn't played the position since high school, and backup slot cornerback Avonte Maddox also has safety experience.
The Lions went light in their secondary and on their roster in general at Tuesday's deadline, keeping eight defensive backs — Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, Amik Robertson, Khalil Dorsey, Branch, Joseph, Ya-Sin and Maddox — among 50 players on their 53-man roster.
They traded wide receiver Tim Patrick to the Jaguars early Wednesday for a sixth-round pick, bringing their roster temporarily to 49 players.
Last year, the Lions kept 52 players on their initial roster and signed defensive tackle Chris Smith to the final spot the day before their season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Smith made the initial roster this year.
Thomas, a fifth-round pick out of Auburn in 2020, made two starts in each of his first two seasons but saw fewer than 35 defensive snaps the past three years.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions to sign ex-Jaguars DB Daniel Thomas to open roster spot
Category: Football