Detroit Lions fill 15 practice squad spots with returning talent, including Jackson Meeks and Dan Skipper

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Allen Park — The Detroit Lions announced the signing of 15 players to the team’s practice squad on Wednesday afternoon, leaving one spot still to be filled on the 16-man taxi squad.

DT Myles Adams

Poached off Seattle's practice squad last November, Adams re-signed with the Lions in March. The 6-foot-2, 299-pounder had a strong finish to training camp, while pacing the defense with a team-high 151 snaps during the preseason. In those four contests, he recorded five tackles and four quarterback pressures.

WR Ronnie Bell

The former Michigan standout signed a futures deal with the Lions in late January. After a slow start to camp, the 2023 seventh-round pick settled into a groove, contributing five catches for 62 yards across the final three preseason games.

OL Tystan Colon

A June signing after Frank Ragnow announced his retirement, the veteran Colon was pushing for the backup center job when he suffered an elbow injury in Detroit's second preseason game. All 42 of his preseason snaps came at center, including half in a start against Atlanta. The former Raven and Cardinal has started 15 games in his career, seeing playing time at all three interior spots.

DL Keith Cooper

A camp darling after earning a job as a rookie tryout, Cooper showed inside/out versatility with run-stopping and pass-rushing ability, despite his lean-for-the-position, 280-pound frame.

Cooper’s 140 snaps were the third-most among Detroit defenders in the preseason. However, he struggled to have the same impact he did on the practice field, tallying just five tackles and one QB pressure, a hit on the passer in the finale against Houston.

DB Erick Hallett

Believed to be in the mix for the final safety job, the Lions shifted Hallett to cornerback at the start of training camp. After spending most of last season on Detroit's practice squad, he impressed with his versatility this offseason, lining up all over the field during the preseason and making a number of plays. He recorded 16 tackles and three pass breakups.

TE Zach Horton

An undrafted rookie out of Indiana, Horton got an extended look with starter Sam LaPorta missing some time and veteran Kenny Yeboah suffering a season-ending knee injury. Between offense and special teams, Horton saw 138 snaps in the preseason, with his in-line and backfield blocking being his top function on offense.

WR Tom Kennedy

The former lacrosse player has been with the franchise since 2019, appearing in 24 games during that stretch, including four last season. He chipped in four receptions for 27 yards during the preseason this year.

WR Jackson Meeks

Despite a pair of outstanding preseason performances, as well as a number of strong plays on the practice field, the Lions waived the undrafted rookie out of Syracuse.

Meeks was admittedly a no-show in the preseason finale. However, in the previous two exhibition games, he hauled in 10 passes for 171 yards and two scores.

The 6-foot-2, 218-pounder offers contested-catch ability, run blocking and special teams potential.

OL Mason Miller

An undrafted rookie signing out of North Dakota State, Miller saw extensive work during the preseason, averaging 30 snaps in the four matchups. He played the first two games at right tackle and the final two at right guard.

OL Michael Niese

Niese has been with the Lions since signing with the team's practice squad days before the start of the 2023 season. He made the roster as a backup center in 2024 and was active for all 17 games. However, he fell behind Kingsley Eguakun and Colon on the depth chart as camp progressed this offseason.

Niese didn't start a preseason game, but saw more than 100 snaps in the four contests, most of which came at center.

LB Anthony Pittman

A longtime Lion, the Birmingham Groves and Wayne State product originally signed with the team in 2019 as an undrafted rookie. From 2021-23, he was one of Detroit’s top special teams performers, logging more than 1,000 snaps with those groups.

Pittman departed as a free agent last year, signing with Washington, but eventually ended back in Detroit to end the year. This offseason, he remained caged to third-team defensive reps behind primary backups Grant Stuard, Trevor Nowaske and Zach Cunningham. In 120 defensive snaps this preseason, Pittman logged 14 tackles, while adding another three on special teams. He also missed a team-high five tackles.

RB Jacob Saylors

The UFL's leading rusher in the spring, Saylors joined the Lions mid-camp and shouldered the biggest backfield workload during the preseason, pacing the roster with 33 carries for 112 yards, while chipping in seven catches for another 52 yards.

"I’ve said this before, I kind of like Saylors, and I mean that in a good way," Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the preseason finale. "There’s something about him. ...He’s pretty crafty, pretty nifty. He’s got detail to what he does – the runs, the landmarks, the check downs. There’s something there and we like him."

S Loren Strickland

Strickland surprised everyone, going from a versatile rotational player at Ball State to making Detroit's initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie. He didn't stick all year, but still managed to appear in seven games, logging 78 snaps on special teams.

Strickland started the Hall of Fame Game and had 106 defensive snaps throughout the preseason, finishing second on the team with 16 tackles.

OT Dan Skipper

The veteran offensive tackle has spent the majority of his career with the Lions, starting 11 games the past three seasons. He opened training camp serving as the left tackle with the first-team offense while Taylor Decker recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.

Skipper missed some time in camp with an ankle injury, but he still started three of the team’s preseason games, one at left tackle, two at right tackle.

In addition to his work at offensive tackle, Skipper has acted as a blocking tight end in jumbo packages, even catching a touchdown pass during the 2024 season.

EDGE Isaac Ukwu

In his second season with the Lions after going undrafted out of Mississippi, Ukwu improved, but not enough to command a roster spot. Seeing 116 preseason snaps, he tallied five QB pressures, including a sack. He also had a second sack wiped out by a penalty away from the ball.

On the downside, he offered minimal contributions on special teams, with most of his reps coming on the field-goal block unit.