Lions sign TE Matt Sokol to reserve/futures contract

On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions announced they have signed tight end Matt Sokol to a reserve/futures contract.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because he played his high school football in Rochester, his college football at Michigan State, and was previously with the organization during the 2020 offseason, under the previous coaching/front office regime.

Sokol (6-foot-6, 260 pounds) went undrafted in 2019 and joined the Los Angeles Chargers. He split his rookie season between the Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squads, but that offseason the Lions came calling and signed him to a reserve/futures contract. He spent the entire offseason and training camp with Detroit but was released at cut downs and signed onto their practice squad. He was eventually released mid-season and re-joined the Chargers practice squad, where he was twice elevated late in the season.

This past season he joined the Jaguars for his second stint and once again, spent the season on their practice squad but did not see any game action. At the conclusion of the season, Sokol became a Street Free Agent (SFA) and came home to Detroit once again.

Sokol brings the Lions' active roster up to 46 players, including being the fifth tight end under contract—though that number is expected to increase as Brock Wright and Jared Pinkney are Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFA), and Superback Jason Cabinda is a Restricted Free Agent (RFA).