On Thursday, during his weekly press conference, Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp told reporters the team was preparing to use newly signed wide receiver/returner DeAndre Carter (on the practice squad) on punt and kick returns in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers. A few hours later, the Lions announced that Carter was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.
“I think DeAndre Carter’s got a lot of experience. He’ll probably step in and return punts for us and kickoffs
for us in the game, along with (Jacob) Saylors. And we’ll just keep going as it’s been,” Fipp said.
With Tom Kennedy suffering a season-ending injury against the Arizona Cardinals, the Lions needed to act fast in finding a replacement return man, and while others, like practice squad receivers Lucky Jackson and Dominic Lovett, were in the mix, Carter’s experience was unmatched.
The Lions did not need to make a corresponding move, as they had previously opened up three spots on the 53-man roster by placing Kennedy, Devin White, and Ben Bartch on injured reserve, with the other two spots being held for the return of safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays from their respective injury lists.
Additionally, by moving Carter from the practice squad to the active roster, the Lions opened a spot on the practice squad and signed defensive back Myles Bryant.
Bryant went undrafted out of the University of Washington in 2020 and joined the Patriots as a nickel cornerback, contributing in nine games as a rookie. He stayed in New England for the next three seasons, playing in another 46 games and starting 17. Bryant moved on to Houston for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, playing in another 22 games and starting three, then joined the Browns in 2026. Bryant was released at cutdowns, made Cleveland’s practice squad, but was recently released and became eligible to join the Lions.
One interesting note on Bryant’s addition is that while he’s primarily played nickel cornerback for the last six NFL seasons, the Lions announced him as a safety. Now, there’s some crossover in how the Lions deploy their strong safety and nickel position, but it’ll be an interesting tweak to watch if Bryant gets an opportunity to join the active roster on game days.
