The Detroit Lions have made their first external addition since cutting their roster down to 53 players. According to Buccaneers beat writer Greg Auman, the Lions are signing former Tampa Bay offensive lineman Elijah Klein to their practice squad.
Klein was drafted by the Buccaneers at the end of the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft—10 picks after the Lions selected starting left guard Christian Mahogany. Over the next two seasons, Klein would make 26 game appearances for Tampa, but just one single
start. The Bucs tried Klein out at several different positions throughout his time in Tampa. In his rookie season, he split his preseason playing time at left guard, right guard, and right tackle. In 2025’s preseason, he logged snaps at left guard, right guard, and—primarily—center. This past preseason, he went back to left guard, right guard, and right tackle.
His one NFL start came last season, when he played 72 snaps in a Week 3 contest against the New York Jets. While he graded out fantastically as a pass blocker (79.0 PFF grade), he struggled in the run game, earning just a 32.4 grade from PFF.
His overall performance this preseason was highly dependent on his position. He earned a 74.2 grade at left guard in preseason Week 1, a 64.0 grade at right guard and right tackle in Week 2, and a 43.4 grade solely at right tackle in Week 3. In that preseason finale, he particularly struggled, allowing three pressures and two sacks over 35 snaps.
It will be interesting to see where Klein fits among the Lions’ depth. Beyond Detroit’s five projected starters, they have offensive tackle Larry Borom, backup center Seth McLaughlin, reserver guard Ben Bartch, utility lineman Miles Frazier—with guard Mason Miller and tackle Devin Cochran on the practice squad. While it seems like Klein’s best fit is on the interior, the Lions are a bit thinner at tackle. We’ll see what the Lions have in store for him when he’s officially signed and in the building.
You can see the rest of the Lions’ 15-man practice squad (one current vacancy) with our 2026 Detroit Lions practice squad tracker.
