With injuries beginning to mount along what was once considered their strongest unit, the Detroit Lions added offensive line depth ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline — just not in the way many envisioned.
Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Lions are signing offensive lineman Jack Conley to the practice squad.
Conley, who joined the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent earlier this year, was a three-year starter (2022-24) at Boston College and a college teammate of injured Lions guard Christian Mahogany.
During his time at Boston College, Conley saw action at both tackle spots, left guard, and even tight end. With a massive 6-foot-7, 325-pound frame, he brings positional versatility and developmental upside to Detroit’s offensive line group.
It’s unlikely that Conley — who has yet to play a regular-season NFL snap — will elevate to the active roster anytime soon. Still, he provides another body for practice and another player for the staff to evaluate. In the preseason, he logged 76 snaps at right tackle for New England, earning a 68.3 grade from Pro Football Focus while allowing just one pressure on 28 pass-blocking snaps.
Not long after the Conley news surfaced, the Lions announced via social media that they had released tight end Kenny Yeboah with an injury settlement and waived offensive lineman Justin Herron.
Detroit signed Yeboah in March to a one-year deal, but an undisclosed injury suffered during training camp in August led to him being placed on injured reserve. He did not appear in a game for the Lions this season.
Herron, who joined Detroit in August, was also placed on injured reserve just over a week after signing. Like Yeboah, he did not take a regular-season snap for the Lions; his last in-game action came during the 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
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