Detroit Lions sign veteran WRs Allen Robinson, Tim Patrick to practice squad
The Detroit Lions are young and relatively inexperienced at wide receiver on their 53-man roster — but well-seasoned at the position on the practice squad.
The Lions signed Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson to practice squad contracts Wednesday, adding a veteran flavor to the receiver position.
The Lions kept just four receivers on their 53-man roster: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond and Isaiah Williams. That quartet has 489 combined catches in their careers, with St. Brown (315 catches) accounting for nearly 65% of that production.
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Patrick, 30, and Robinson, 31, have 705 career catches.
The Lions had been looking for a big-body receiver to add to the unit and signed two Wednesday.
Patrick, who has missed the past two seasons with ACL and Achilles tendon injuries, is 6 feet 4 and 212 pounds, while Robinson is 6-2 and 210 pounds. Both are contested-catch specialists.
Patrick had a career-high 53 catches for 734 yards in 2021, his last full season. He has spent most of his career with the Denver Broncos after originally signing with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Robinson, a Detroit native and Orchard Lake St. Mary's alumnus, has four seasons of at least 70 receptions in his career. He caught 34 passes for 280 yards last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and previously played for the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars.
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The Lions also signed veteran receiver Tom Kennedy and quarterback Jake Fromm to the practice squad, and added 11 other players Wednesday, all of whom were with the team in training camp. They have one open practice squad spot remaining, which ESPN reported they will use on another veteran receiver who was with the team in training camp: Donovan Peoples-Jones.
The full list of Lions practice squad players:
∎ QB Jake Fromm
∎ RB Jermar Jefferson.
∎ TE James Mitchell.
∎ TE Shane Zylstra.
∎ WR Allen Robinson.
∎ WR Tim Patrick.
∎ WR Tom Kennedy.
∎ OL Kingsley Eguakun.
∎ OL Jamarco Jones.
∎ DL Mitchell Agude.
∎ DL Pat O'Connor.
∎ DL Kyle Peko.
∎ DL Chris Smith.
∎ DL Isaac Ukwu.
∎ S C.J. Moore.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions sign WRs Allen Robinson, Tim Patrick to practice squad
