The Detroit Lions expected wide receiver Tom Kennedy to miss some time after he suffered a knee injury in their Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Dan Campbell initially said that it was likely he would miss some time in the short term, but he felt good about his status in the long term.
After the Lions got more test results, it turns out that Kennedy is going to miss longer than expected. Sources tell Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Kennedy has a serious MCL injury and will miss the rest of the season.
“Lions returner Tom Kennedy suffered a significant MCL injury that is expected to require surgery and will end his season, sources tell me and RapSheet. HC Dan Campbell was hopeful Kennedy’s absence would be shorter but further testing revealed the extent of the damage,” tweeted Garafolo.
Kennedy had six returns for 79 yards as a punt returner and nine returns for 223 yards as a kick returner.
Detroit Lions Lose Tom Kennedy for Entire Season
After the game, the Lions head coach acknowledged it was a knee injury for Kennedy. He noted that his knee gave and bent the wrong way on his second kickoff return. However, he was much more optimistic, even while acknowledging Kennedy would miss some time.
“TK, it doesn’t look good as far as anything short-term,” said Campbell. “I think it could be a sprain. But I don’t think it’s long-term.”
Campbell did not think Kennedy would be out for the entire season. The plan will be for the Lions to place him on the IR. As a receiver, they are not losing someone who contributes to the passing game. However, Campbell admitted that Kennedy had been improving as a return option, and that would be tough to overcome.
“We kind of challenged him on hitting some of these returns. And man, that first one was outstanding. That second one, he caught it, and he put his foot in the ground, and he took it to heart.”
Kennedy was improving, but now the team has to pivot.
Lions Need Another Return Option
The option is likely not on the current roster. Jacob Saylors is in the return game, but as an upback, so he is unlikely to change roles. Tay Martin is a core special teams option, but he is not used in the return game.
The most likely option is Dominic Lovett. Lovett is a former seventh-round pick in his second NFL season. He made the Lions last year and got some experience in the return game. However, Kennedy beat him out this season.
Lovett had just one return for 22 yards last season. In the preseason, he had three kick returns as a rookie and four kick returns in the 2026 preseason. He added two punt returns this year and another in 2025.
Lions Lose Key Contributor to Season-Ending Injury