Lions add more help for Kalif Raymond and Khalil Dorsey with latest signing

The Detroit Lions added to their 53-man roster on Wednesday morning, signing former special teams ace Daniel Thomas to the full team roster after trading away Tim Patrick to the same team. The news was first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Patrick is being shipped to the Jaguars for a 2026 sixth round pick, while Thomas is coming over on a deal as a free agent. The Lions are now back to just 50 players on the finalized roster, which continues to indicate that the team is not done making deals to fill in holes in their secondary and at the pass rush.

Thomas, a five year veteran who has only ever played for the Jaguars since being drafted by them back in 2020, can slot in on both defense and on special teams as a gunner for Detroit. That's great news for Kalif Raymond, who could use some additional help after carrying a brunt of the special teams load back in 2024.

Raymond finds help in special teams room with Thomas signing

The Lions carried just eight defensive backs onto their initial 53-man roster, with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch highlighting the safety room. There's a ton of versatility and talent in the room already, and the Lions have also clearly learned their lesson from last season by keeping open a few IR-to-return slots on the roster.

That's key for a team that suffered a ridiculous amount of injuries to their defense back in 2024, and one that wants to try and ensure they leave some flexibility for roster construction if those same injury woes continue to plague them down the stretch.

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Thomas also helps on that front. He played 15 games last season on special teams and as a DB, with his best year as a defender coming back in 2021. That year, he had 27 total tackles. He hasn't had an interception since his rookie season, though, and he's more often utilized for his tackling as a gunner at this point in his career.

The Jaguars just released Thomas to save rookie Rayaun Lane a spot on their final 53-man roster, according to FanSided's Carlos Sanchez. Sanchez wrote of the move:

"As a sixth-round selection, Rayuane Lane III wasn't a lock to make the team but certainly had a few things going in his favor. For starters, he was brought in by the new regime, unlike veteran Daniel Thomas.

On top of that, Lane had an intriguing skill set and was a staple of the special teams on the Navy football program. And more often than not, late-round selections can stick around if they can contribute in that phase of the game. Granted, Thomas had also carved a niche as a returner but releasing him freed up nearly $2 million in cap space, so his rookie counterpart got somewhat of an edge."

Thomas lands as a perfect compliment to Raymond and newly returned ace Khalil Dorsey for the Lions as they hope to continue as one of the better special teams units in the NFL. With Jack Fox, Jake Bates, and Hogan Hatten all in the fold again, this unit could be the team's most polished.

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