Lions Signing Former Bengals OL to Practice Squad

The Detroit Lions have added offensive line depth amidst multiple injuries up front.

On Monday, the Lions agreed to a contract with Devin Cochran. According to those with knowledge of the situation, Cochran will be joining the Lions' practice squad.

The move to add Cochran comes after Lions coach Dan Campbell said that offensive lineman Jamarco Jones will not return to action this season. Jones was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury on Saturday.

Detroit also has veteran Dan Skipper on the practice squad, but Skipper was dealing with an undisclosed injury last week. As a result, the Lions felt it was beneficial to add depth to the unit with Cochran.

A Georgia native, Cochran appeared in nine games for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. He made one start and played a total of 152 offensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He earned a 50.6 overall PFF offensive grade in his opportunities.

Cochran played collegiately at Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. He began his college career at Vanderbilt, where he played from 2017-19. Cochran finished his time in college with one year at Georgia Tech in 2021, where he was teammates with Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

He went undrafted in the 2022 draft, signing with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent. Since then, he has bounced between their active roster and practice squad. He was waived by the Bengals at final roster cuts this year and re-signed to the practice squad, but was released the following day.

Cochran developed a strong relationship with standout Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson during his time in Cincinnati. After making his first-career start last season, he explained how his relationship grew with the two-time NFL leader in sacks.

"For the last couple of years, it wasn't what it is now," Cochran said, via the Bengals' team website. "It was competition. He's made a lot of good points about what it's like to play. After the game, I'm thinking about how my body feels, and Trey and I go full speed. It's practice. We work hard. That's tough. Tough. Going against Trey all year on the third-down series prepared me really well. But last week it was mostly me and Joe (Ossai) and Joe really got into it. That helps me get my mindset right."

Now, Cochran comes to Detroit with hopes of aiding their offensive line depth. On Sunday in the regular season opener, the Lions carried three backup offensive linemen as active in Giovanni Manu, Kayode Awosika and Kingsley Eguakun.

Both Manu and Eguakun were appearing in their first NFL games. Each of the Lions' five starting offensive linemen played every snap.