Lions add former Cardinals tight end to practice squad, cut 2 others

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn has been known to tinker with the bottom of the roster throughout the entire year. He was at it again on Wednesday morning, when he added two new players to the practice squad, while letting a couple go.

The Lions released tight end Cole Wick from the squad and signed Hakeem Valles in his place. Valles was just released by the Arizona Cardinals—the Lions’ Week 1 opponent—on Saturday. Often times, you’ll see a team bring in a player from their upcoming opponent to see if they can gain a strategic edge.

Valles went undrafted in 2016, but made 11 game appearances, including one start, for the Cardinals last season. Though he never caught a pass with Arizona, he did play on special teams and picked up three tackles in his rookie year.

The Lions also placed receiver Dontez Ford on the Practice-Squad injured list and replaced him with Noel Thomas. Thomas, an undrafted rookie out of Connecticut, comes back to the team after being waived in the final round of cuts over the weekend. In the preseason, Thomas hauled in three catches for 35 yards for the Lions.