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The Detroit Lions are starting to plan for 2024, bringing back a group of players on reserve/futures contracts including a multi-sport star who has had several stints on the roster in Detroit.
As USA Today’s Jeff Risdon reported, the Lions brought back 10 players for the chance to compete for roster spots next season. The group included wide receiver Tom Kennedy, who has been part of the roster in Detroit on and off since 2019 and rejoined the practice squad during the last season.
Tom Kennedy Returns to Detroit
The Lions had signed Kennedy to the practice squad on November 29, adding some depth after veteran Marvin Jones Jr. had left the team due to a personal matter. He had first signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2019, making 14 total receptions for 195 yards during parts of five seasons.
Kennedy joined the team for training camp last summer but was waived in August with an injury settlement, CBS Sports.
As ESPN reported, Kennedy made a name for himself in college as a multi-sport athlete, playing both lacrosse and football at Bryant University.
Kennedy’s first taste of professional sports came in lacrosse as he was drafted by the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse in 2018. When he was signed by the Lions the following year, Kennedy became the first person ever to play in both the NFL and a professional lacrosse league.
As SI.com’s Christian Booher noted, Kennedy gained a good reputation among Lions fans after making 75-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond in the 2021 season finale then again as a standout in the 2022 preseason.
The Lions brought back nine other players on futures contracts, including linebacker Mitchell Agude, receiver Maurice Alexander, offensive lineman Matt Farniok, running back Jake Funk, offensive tackle Connor Galvin, cornerback Craig James, safety Brandon Joseph, offensive lineman Michael Niese and defensive lineman Chris Smith.
Lions Coach Knows Challenges Await
While it remains to be seen whether Kennedy could play a larger role than he has through five seasons in Detroit, Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted that the team will have some needs at wide receiver.
“Josh Reynolds and Donovan Peoples-Jones are both unrestricted free agents. Based on targets, Reynolds was the No. 2 receiver. Someone to fill that role in the offense–and it could be Reynolds returning–is needed, as is overall depth,” Risdon wrote
The pressure is already building on the team for next season. After blowing a 17-point lead to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game and missing out on what would have been the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl, Lions head coach Dan Campbell warned that the task will be even more difficult in 2024.
“Like I told the guys, this might’ve been our only shot. Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No,” Campbell said after Sunday’s loss, via SI.com. “However, I know how hard it is to get here, I am well aware. It’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality, and if we don’t have the same hunger and the same work, which is a whole other thing once we get to the offseason, then we’ve got no shot of getting back here. I don’t care how much better we get or what we add or what we draft, it’s irrelevant.”