BREAKING: Detroit Lions Poach Jaguars' Practice Squad Defender

Former Detroit Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman has left the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad for his old team.

Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman tackles Panthers punt return Ihmir Smith-Marsette during the second half of the Lions' 42-24 win on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, at Ford Field. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions have signed a player away from the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.

Amidst a bizarre run of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, the Lions have signed Jaguars practice squad linebacker Anthony Pittman to their active roster. This serves as a reunion for Pittman, who joined the Lions out of college.

Pittman was originally signed as an undrafted rookie by the Lions in 2019. During his time with the Lions (2019-23), Pittman played in 52 games, recording twelve tackles (five solo) and one forced fumble and serving as a core piece on special teams. In March, Pittman signed with the Washington Commanders and spent the 2024 training camp with them.

"Prior to the NFL, the Beverly Hills, Mich., native played five seasons with Wayne State (2014-18) where he appeared in 43 games for the Warriors and recorded 181 tackles (120 solo), 31.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, three passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery," the Jaguars said in a release when they signed Pittman after Week 5.

To fill the empty spot on the practice squad, the Jaguars signed former Florida State Seminoles linebacker Kalen DeLoach to the practice unit.

DeLoach originally signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie following the 2024 NFL Draft and spent time on the team’s practice squad. Prior to the NFL, he played at FSU from 2019-23. Across five seasons with the Seminoles, DeLoach appeared in 55 games and recorded 212 tackles (112 solo), 26 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed, 11.0 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery returned for a 56-yard touchdown.

The Jaguars are seeing more and more youth get playtime over the final month of the season, but there doesn't appear to be much room for snaps at linebacker as things stand today.

“Yeah, if you get an opportunity. You’re still trying to go out to compete and win the game, but if you get the chance to play one of your young players, and it’s a good time to do it, then we’ll do it," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday about moving more and more young players up the depth chart.

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