The Detroit Lions are in the midst of preparations to take on the Arizona Cardinals in the wake of their disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday evening, which dropped their record back to the .500 mark at 2-2.
Right now, the Lions’ defense is their main question mark, as they are performing on the same wavelength as the winless 2008 club that became the first NFL club in the modern era to not win a single game during the regular season.
The Lions, led by GM Brad Holmes, have made an addition to their practice squad on the defensive side of the ball that was just released by the Washington Commanders.
The Detroit Lions Have Signed Defensive Tackle Jeffrey M’ba To The Practice Squad
On Thursday, the Lions announced that they’ve signed defensive tackle Jeffrey M’ba to the practice squad.
M’Ba was born in Libreville, Gabon, and grew up in France and Cameroon before moving to the US.
He attended Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore and became a four-star recruit, initially committing to Virginia before academic issues led him to Independence Community College. M’Ba spent two seasons at Independence from 2020-21 and became the No. 1 overall JUCO recruit.
He then transferred to Auburn, where he recorded seven tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in six games during the 2022 season. After entering the transfer portal, M’Ba joined Purdue.
He had 16 tackles and a sack in 2023 before racking up another 30 tackles in 12 games played in 2024. He later transferred to SMU to continue his college career.
He was then taken in the first round (12th overall pick) by the Edmonton Elks in the 2026 CFL Global Draft but signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in May. Washington released him in August before re-signing him to the practice squad a day later; he was then released from the practice squad on Oct. 7.
Dan Campbell Supports DC Kelvin Sheppard
Despite the struggles of his club’s defense, head coach Dan Campbell wanted to make it clear that he still supports defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
“I understand all that from afar, when you look at it and you look at the numbers,” he said via Audacy earlier in the week. “But I believe in Kelvin Sheppard, and I believe we got a lot of meat on the bone with this defense right now. We’re going to continue to tweak. We got more things that we can do, with what we have here. There’s different calls.”
Lions Add Huge 312-Pound Defensive Lineman to Practice Squad