Lions add former Vikings TE Brian Leonhardt to practice squad, two others

The Detroit Lions are continuing to fill out their practice squad, and with Dave Birkett’s most recent update, the Lions are up to eight players on their 10-man roster.

The new names on this list are cornerback Alex Carter, defensive back Charles Washington and newcomer tight end Brian Leonhardt. Carter and Washington don’t come as huge surprises, as the Lions are a bit thin at cornerback, and the two young corners have a lot of untapped potential.

However, the addition of Leonhardt is interesting. The Lions are in obvious need of tight end depth while Andrew Quarless serves a two-game suspension, Brandon Pettigrew remains on the PUP list and Eric Ebron’s injury status remains up in the air.

Leonhard was waived from the Minnesota Vikings last Tuesday. As an undrafted rookie in 2013, Leonhardt played two years with the Oakland Raiders, but only appeared in 12 games. There he caught six catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. Since then, he’s jumped around from the 49ers and Vikings in 2015. Because Leonhardt has an acquired season, he also fits under the special exemption on the practice squad, meaning the Lions have filled three of those four spots on the practice squad.

The Lions now have eight of their 10 positions filled on the practice squad. Follow along with all of the practice squad updates here.