Lions continue adding veteran safety depth, claiming Mills off waivers from Texans
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions are hoping to get All-Pro Kerby Joseph back sooner rather than later. But after losing Brian Branch to a season-ending Achilles injury last week, and with Thomas Harper working his way through concussion protocol, the team continues to add options to the roster as it determines the best course forward at the safety position.
Days after signing Damontae Kazee to the practice squad, the team added more veteran depth on Wednesday, claiming Jalen Mills off waivers from the Houston Texans.
A former starting cornerback for the Eagles — a five-year stint that included a Super Bowl championship in 2018 — Mills has shown versatility throughout his career. He first worked as a safety for the Eagles during the 2020 season, and reprised the role with the Patriots in 2023.
Mills also played safety for the Jets in 2024 before a clavicle injury prematurely ended his season. He’s spent this year with the Texans, bouncing back and forth between the team’s practice squad and main roster. He’s appeared in just four games, logging 48 defensive snaps.
For his career, Mills, 30, has appeared in 119 contests, including 92 starts. He’s intercepted eight passes and defended 59 overall.
Detroit now has a plethora of options while it navigates its injury situation. Joseph would obviously jump back into a starting role once his balky knee cooperates enough that it holds up through a week of practice. The other spot is likely to be manned by either Harper, who has been starting the past several weeks, or veteran Avonte Maddox, who stepped in to replace Harper after he went out in the first quarter of last Thursday’s game against Dallas.
Additionally, the team has veteran special teamer Daniel Thomas on the 53-man roster and youngsters Erick Hallett and Loren Strickland on the practice squad. All three have seen limited defensive snaps for the Lions this season.
To clear room on the roster, Detroit waived tight end Hayden Rucci, whom they recently claimed off waivers.
The team has yet to put Branch on injured reserve despite the safety already undergoing surgery to repair his Achilles.
I’ve been writing a short story every single day on my blog about life here in Michigan. Most of the stories revolve around me, Jerry, and my Dad, who moved in with us after my mom passed. The dogs are regular characters too—my goldendoodle Bianca, Dad’s little Yorkshire terrier Sofia—and every now and then the cat, Nala, makes an appearance when she feels like supervising us. The kids, Gerard and Mary, and the grandkids pop in from time to time as well. Basically, if you’re breathing in my house, you’re fair game for a story.
This all started back in October when a friend challenged me to start blogging. I didn’t expect much from it—but it turns out I absolutely love it. So much so that I’ve decided to start putting together another book made up of short stories.
Every night now, I write two stories. One is a shorter version for the blog. The other is a longer version of the same story that might become a chapter in a book… or might not. I’m being picky. I only want the gold stories for the book. I already have enough material for about nine books, but I’m waiting for the ones that really shine—the ones that make me laugh out loud or think, okay, this one stays.
I’m inviting you to be part of this little life project of mine. The response so far has been really encouraging, and people seem to enjoy these stories, which still surprises me. If you have time, I’d love for you to read along and tell me which ones you like best. They’re definitely not all great—but some of them are pretty funny. Most are written in the first person, and all of them are real life, slightly exaggerated for survival.
Thanks for being here and sharing this ride with me.
Love,
Donna Zolkowski
I don’t see why Vaki wouldn’t be thrown out to the nickle since we don’t need him at RB?