The Detroit Lions are now less than two weeks away from opening the 2026 NFL season at Ford Field on Sept. 13 against the visiting New Orleans Saints, marking the first time that they’ve visited the Motor City in a decade.
And with their 53-man roster fully set, the Lions can now turn their attention toward the upcoming task at hand.
Additionally, the Lions have nearly fully filled out their practice roster, having listed 14 names to the squad on Monday. But now, another addition has been made with the addition of a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard.
The Lions have signed offensive lineman Elijah Klein to their practice roster, making him the 15th name of 16 that is permitted under NFL rules. The news was confirmed by Fox Sports NFL Insider Greg Auman, who wrote the following update on X, formerly known as Twitter:
“Lions are signing offensive lineman Elijah Klein to their practice squad. The 2024 sixth-round pick out of UTEP was cut by the Bucs on Sunday after two seasons. Played in 26 games for Tampa Bay with one start.”
The Detroit Lions Have Signed Former Tampa Bay Offensive Lineman Elijah Klein To The Practice Squad
Klein was taken in the sixth round (220th overall pick) by the Buccaneers in the 2024 NFL Draft after playing several years at UTEP.
He’d ultimately make 55 starts for the Miners, and earned honorable mention All-Conference USA recognition in 2021 and 2022 before being named to the conference’s first team following his final season in 2023. Klein was later invited to the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl but did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine.
So far in his NFL career, he’s appeared in 26 total games. In 2024, he played in 16 games, and the following campaign, he appeared in 10 games.
The Lions Have Fully Set Their 53-Man Roster For The 2026 NFL Season
The Lions have fully filled out their 53-man roster in preparation for the upcoming 2026 NFL season, in which they’ll look to not only return to the NFL playoffs, but also return to what they feel is their rightful spot atop the NFC North Division.
Of course, that spot is currently occupied by the reigning NFC North Division champion Chicago Bears, who are now led by former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, adding insult to injury.
Meanwhile, head coach Dan Campbell recently said that he’s loved the competitive spirit of Lions Training Camp, which should set them up nicely for the upcoming season.
“I mean, I love the competitiveness,” Campbell said of his Training Camp impressions late last month. “We always get after it pretty good, but I think us getting back to it, it’s just Detroit versus Detroit, the no joint practices. I just think we got a lot of good stuff done.
“We got through full installs, man. We got to hit every situation multiple times. And so, when you’re able to do that, then you can really get pretty advanced with each other and test each other pretty good.”
The Lions host the Saints on Sept. 13, followed by a historic Week 2 matchup against the Bills in which they’ll be the first road team to play Buffalo in new Highmark Stadium.
Lions Snag Former Buccaneers Offensive Lineman