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The Detroit Lions announced a change on their practice squad on December 21. The Lions have moved on from veteran offensive lineman Michael Schofield and signed cornerback Craig James.
“Lions have released OL Michael Schofield from the practice squad and signed CB Craig James to the practice squad,” the Lions official X (formerly Twitter) account posted.
The Lions appear to be adding James as a potential injury replacement for Jerry Jacobs, who didn’t practice on December 20. Jacobs suffered a hamstring injury in Week 15.
James has mostly play special teams during his NFL career. He spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2019-21. During 2019, he played 237 special teams snaps for current Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp.
“He was a key special teamer for the Eagles under Fipp’s guidance, logging a total of 237 snaps—fifth-most on the team,” SB Nation’s Jeremy Reisman wrote.
Schofield spent a little more than a month on Detroit’s practice squad. The Lions elevated him for the Week 12 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, but Schofield didn’t play a snap.
During the 2015 season, Schofield won the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
Lions Sign CB Craig James to Potentially Bolster Special Teams
The Lions moved Jacobs into primarily a special teams role in Week 15. But now the team might not even have Jacobs to cover punts.
The seriousness of Jacobs’ ailment is unknown, but he hasn’t practiced, and the Lions expressed interest in multiple cornerbacks before adding James.
Ultimately, the Lions signed James, who has experience playing for Fipp.
Fipp served as Philadelphia’s special teams coordinator from 2013-20. James played 18 games for Fipp during the coach’s final two years with the Eagles.
In those 18 games, James lined up for 317 special teams snaps.
James began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He played 25 special teams snaps for the Vikings as a rookie.
After not appearing in an NFL regular season game from 2021-22, James played twice as a practice squad elevation for the New York Jets this season.
He posted 1 tackle while playing 27 special teams snaps and 42 snaps on defense.
Lions Release Veteran Michael Schofield
To make room for Jacobs, the Lions departed with some offensive line depth.
Detroit has needed its offensive line depth this season. But despite a lot of shuffling parts for the Lions offensive front, Schofield had yet to play a snap in Detroit.
Schofield began his NFL career as a third-round pick for the Broncos in 2014. After not playing as a rookie, Schofield started 16 games, including the playoffs during 2015. He started at right tackle for Denver in the Super Bowl against the Carolina Panthers.
Following the 2016 season when he started every game at right guard for the Broncos, Schofield joined the Los Angeles Chargers. He spent four of the next five seasons with the Chargers, starting 49 contests.
In 2020, Schofield played for the Panthers. He rejoined the Chargers for the 2021 season.
Last year, Schofield made five starts for the Chicago Bears.
In eight NFL seasons, Schofield has appeared in 113 games, making 86 starts. Before this season, he had started at least three games every year since 2015.
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