The Detroit Lions made two roster moves on Thursday, signing Allen Robinson to the 53-man roster and adding a LB to the practice squad.
On Thursday, the Detroit Lions announced on two roster moves ahead of their first official practice of Week 4. First, veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson was signed to the active roster, while linebacker Abraham Beauplan was signed to the practice squad.
After sending Derrick Barnes and Marcus Davenport to injured reserve and signing wide receiver Tim Patrick earlier this week, the Lions still had an open spot on the roster, which will now be occupied by Robinson.
Robinson was signed to the Lions’ practice squad following cutdowns, as they searched for more depth at wide receiver, specifically a player capable of playing in the WR-X role. After a few weeks of acclimation, Robinson was elevated from the practice squad for the Lions Week 3 game against the Cardinals, though he only played one snap.
Allen Robinson’s lone snap on Sunday.
(He’s the receiver at the top) pic.twitter.com/LhSUEKvQBj
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) September 23, 2024
The entire receiver group saw a lower level of snaps than in previous weeks, but there are games on the schedule where a deeper receiver group will be necessary. Robinson, an 11-year veteran, is a reliable presence on and off the field, is a willing and effective run blocker, and is someone the Lions have kept tabs on for a while now.
“Allen Robinson, he was a guy that we wanted to add in free agency a couple of years ago.” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after Detroit signed Robinson to the practice squad. “Obviously, a Detroit kid from here, but that’s not the reason why he’s here, he’s another guy that can step in and we know he can play. So right now, it’s all about getting them acclimated. Just however fast that happens, we will see. If it’s one week, two weeks, three weeks, we’ll see, but it gives us a lot of comfort knowing that it’s guys that have real stripes on the wall. They’re good character guys, they’re spoken highly of, so we know that they’re going to be culture fits, it’s just how quickly they can get acclimated.”
As for Beauplan, he joined the Lions in the middle of training camp and performed well during the preseason. He was a player many considered a viable option for the practice squad, but after the Lions kept seven linebackers on their active roster, they used spots on other positions. Now, with Barnes on injured reserve, Beauplan returns to the roster on the practice squad to give the team more depth.
