The Detroit Lions’ injury situation at safety has reached the point where every viable option deserves a look.
Avonte Maddox is out for the season following foot surgery, while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will not return to practice this week. Detroit signed Jalen Mills to its practice squad, but head coach Dan Campbell has also made clear the club is evaluating possible additions from other teams.
That makes the practice-squad market worth monitoring. A player signed away from another team’s practice squad must be added to the new club’s active roster, not its own practice squad. And because the Lions play the New York Jets this week, they cannot sign a Jets practice-squad player during the six-day window before the game.
None of the following names has been linked to a Detroit signing. They are potential fits floated by Christian Booher of Lions OnSI, based on availability, experience and the Lions’ immediate need.
Ifeatu Melifonwu would be a familiar reunion
Ifeatu Melifonwu is the most obvious name because of his history in Detroit.
Brad Holmes selected Melifonwu in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and the safety spent four seasons with the Lions. Injuries limited him to 37 games, but he also produced memorable moments, including the interception that helped seal Detroit’s 2023 NFC North title.
Melifonwu is currently on Tampa Bay’s practice squad after being elevated for each of the Buccaneers’ first two games. That familiarity matters. He knows the Lions’ building, many of the coaches and the expectations of playing in Detroit’s defense.
The Lions did not make a major push to retain Melifonwu after his rookie deal expired, so a reunion is far from certain. Still, a veteran with prior experience in the system could offer a faster transition than an entirely new arrival.
Detroit’s urgency increased when Maddox was ruled out for the year, leaving the club thin behind its established starters.
Erick Hallett II knows Kelvin Sheppard’s defense
Erick Hallett II is another former Lion with direct knowledge of Detroit’s scheme.
Hallett spent parts of two seasons with the organization and appeared in three games last season, logging 119 defensive snaps. The Titans signed him away after the 2025 season, and he is now on Tennessee’s practice squad after receiving elevations in each of its first two games.
That background could make Hallett a logical short-term option. He has worked in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense and would not be walking into a completely unfamiliar system during a critical stretch of the schedule.
His path to a meaningful role in Detroit would still depend on his readiness and the Lions’ evaluation of their current options. Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper and Christian Izien remain in the mix, while Mills was recently added as another experienced depth piece. Detroit’s Mills move was a practice-squad signing, not an active-roster solution.
Cole Wisniewski offers upside over familiarity
Cole Wisniewski represents a different kind of possibility.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected the 6-foot-3 safety in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he did not make their initial 53-man roster. Wisniewski began his college career at North Dakota State, where he won two FCS national championships and earned first-team All-American honors in 2023 before finishing at Texas Tech.
He is not the immediate familiarity play that Melifonwu or Hallett would be. He is the developmental bet.
Wisniewski’s size, college production and youth could appeal to a Lions front office that has shown a willingness to search beyond its own roster when injuries stack up. Detroit previously turned to practice-squad additions such as Myles Adams, Kwon Alexander and Jonah Williams during its injury-riddled 2024 season.
The Lions may ultimately choose a veteran, a young player or neither of these three. But with Branch and Joseph still unavailable, Holmes has every reason to keep working the phones.
