Tom Kennedy reverts to Detroit Lions injured reserve list

Earlier in the week, the Detroit Lions waived wide receiver Tom Kennedy with an injury designation. On Sunday, he cleared waivers and returned to the Lions on their injured reserve list.

Now the Lions have two options. Kennedy can remain on the injured reserve list, which means his 2023 season is over. Players who are placed on the injured reserve list prior to teams cutting down to their initial 53-man roster are not eligible to return from IR.

However, there is a workaround. If the Lions decide to cut Kennedy now with an injury settlement, he is free to sign anywhere. He can even return to the Lions eventually. NFL rules state that if a team releases a player with an injury settlement, they cannot re-sign him until the length of the injury settlement (an estimate of how long the player will be injured) plus an additional three weeks. The Lions used this exact provision last year with C.J. Moore, who was waived/injured late in August, reverted to IR, was released days later, and re-signed with the team in late October.

Kennedy suffered an injury during Wednesday’s training camp practice after colliding hard with rookie linebacker Jack Campbell. Kennedy appeared to be suffering from an arm/shoulder injury at the time, but the team did not provide any further clarification on the nature of the injury.

To take up his roster spot, the Lions signed former Michigan Panthers receiver Trey Quinn, who caught 37 passes for 438 yards in the USFL this year.