The Detroit Lions have reportedly started putting together their 2026 practice squad.
Tight end Thomas Gordon is expected to return to Detroit’s practice squad, according to James Larsen, as reported Monday morning by A to Z Sports’ Lions practice-squad tracker. As of the report, Gordon is the first player connected to Detroit’s new practice squad.
The move has not yet been officially announced by the Lions, so it should be viewed as a reported agreement until the team confirms it.
Gordon Returning After Missing Initial 53
Detroit officially waived Gordon on Sunday as part of its final roster reduction. The Lions chose to carry Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and Jackson Meeks as their three tight ends on the initial 53-man roster.
Meeks became one of the more interesting stories of cutdown day after beating out veteran Tyler Conklin and the rest of Detroit’s tight end competition.
That left Gordon on the outside, but apparently not outside the organization’s plans.
The Lions can begin constructing a 16-player practice squad Monday, and Gordon gives Detroit developmental depth at a position where the team spent much of training camp evaluating several different options. Detroit’s official roster breakdown also emphasized that the initial 53 was never likely to be the final version of the team heading into Week 1.
The decision comes after Detroit finished sorting through a number of difficult roster battles heading into final cuts and wrapped up the preseason with a 25-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Detroit’s final 53-man roster projection showed just how tight the numbers became at the bottom of several position groups.
Now comes the second part of the process.
Players who clear waivers can return to Detroit, while the Lions can also use their improved waiver priority to add talent released elsewhere. That means Gordon may be only the first of several familiar names who find their way back to Allen Park over the next several hours.
For now, though, Detroit reportedly has its first practice-squad addition.
And Thomas Gordon may not be gone after all.
