Lions replace veteran nose tackle with rookie on practice squad
The Detroit Lions are bringing back an undrafted rookie nose tackle that received a ton of guaranteed money.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions announced a minor but noteworthy change to their practice squad. The team released veteran nose tackle Chris Smith and brought in rookie nose tackle Aidan Keanaaina. Smith, who was a respected player within the organization and earned praise from head coach Dan Campbell, failed to make the 53-man roster despite a strong preseason.
Keanaaina, an undrafted rookie, had previously received significant investment from the Lions as his contract guarantees totaled $267,500. However, he suffered an injury during training camp which led to him being placed on injured reserve and subsequently released with an injury settlement. Now that this period has passed, Keanaaina can join the Lions and potentially see action this season.
Keanaaina will join five other members of the Lions' undrafted rookie class on the roster, which includes EDGE Eric O’Neill, quarterback Luke Altmyer, tight end Miles Kitselman, EDGE Anthony Lucas, and safety Aamaris Brown.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
