After entering the NFL as a UDFA in 2019, Detroit Lions wide receiver Tom Kennedy is entering his ninth year with the team. However, he’s never made the Lions’ 53-man roster. Nor has he been activated for an entire NFL season. Throughout his career, Kennedy started only one game. Instead, he’s been repeatedly signed, waived, re-signed, activated, released, and then re-signed to the Lions practice squad. While Kennedy’s never made the Lions’ 53-man roster out of training camp, here’s why this is the year his perseverance pays off, and he makes the final cut.
Why Tom Kennedy Will Finally Make The Lions’ 2026 53-Man Roster
In March of this year, the Lions signed Kennedy to a one-year deal worth $1,235,000. The contract includes a $20,000 signing bonus, $20,000 guaranteed, with an average annual salary of $1,235,000. According to Spotrac, the Lions’ 2026 salary cap takes a $1,095,000 hit with a dead cap value of $20,000.
For Kennedy, the contract represents a bump from his $1.1 million in 2025, and is comparable to the market value for a vested NFL veteran player with his accrued playing time. It’s also an indication that Detroit values Kennedy’s contribution and sees his role on the team this season.
Dan Campbell has spoken highly of his contribution to the team, “He’s a football player, he’s instinctive, and he can play all the positions. Every time he had a chance to make a play or get in position to make a play, he made a play. And he’s always done that, he’s always done it…. the guy’s overcome a ton. And he knows, and I’ve said it, there’s an argument you’ve earned your right. Every year on the roster, you’ve earned that right. But… you’re trying to put together the best 69-man roster that you can. And that’s where, sometimes, that falls into it. And to his credit, he just continues to go back to work.”
This could be the year when the perennial practice squad member finally makes the 53-man roster. Kennedy’s shown up every year and done everything asked of him. The 2025 season proved to be a breakout year, and although he only appeared in six games, Kennedy played a pivotal role for the team as a kick returner with 16 kickoff returns for 447 yards, recording a team-best 27.9 return average. In addition, he returned three punts for another 50 yards. Now, with the loss of free agent Kalif Raymond to a division rival, the Chicago Bears, Kennedy’s value increases significantly. After years of being on and off the Lions’ practice squad, his dream of becoming an NFL starter is about to come true.
Kennedy, The College Years
When Kennedy joined the Bryant University football team in 2017, he had already distinguished himself as an elite lacrosse player. Even though football was Kennedy’s first love and he’d been recruited as a two-sport athlete, he quit football after his freshman year to focus exclusively on lacrosse.
However, acting on the recommendation of his football players, Coach James Perry sought out Kennedy and convinced him to give football another shot. It didn’t take long for Perry to recognize that Kennedy brought something special to the football team. Despite being a 5’10”, 197 lb. wide receiver, he approached the blocking role with gusto. Shaking off massive hits with the ease of a well-conditioned athlete, Kennedy also proved to be an agile, speedy receiver.
Soon, Perry was referring to him as the best player on the team. By the end of the season, Kennedy recorded 57 receptions for 888 yards with nine touchdowns, plus 12 carries for 66 yards with three touchdowns. But Kennedy’s love of football had been re-ignited, and he decided to stick around for another year to play as a fifth-year senior.
Unfortunately, a training camp injury forced Kennedy to sit out four games with a knee injury. However, once he got back on the football field, he made it count. Kennedy finished the season with 33 catches for 410 yards and a touchdown and recorded another 28 yards on 11 carries.
Kennedy Signs With Detroit Lions
However, following his collegiate success, Kennedy went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed with the Lions in May of 2019 as a UDFA, and despite a strong showing at training camp, he was waived on August 31st as part of the final roster cutdowns. The following day, the Lions signed him to the practice squad. Shortly after wide receiver Danny Amendola’s injury, Kennedy was activated from the practice squad. He made his NFL debut on September 29th, playing eight snaps on offense against the Kansas City Chiefs. Two weeks later, he was waived and re-signed to the practice squad. However, he’d done enough to impress the coaching staff, and at the end of the 2019 season, Kennedy was signed to a reserve/future contract by the Lions.
Kennedy, The Practice Squad Merry-Go-Round
On September 5, 2020, Kennedy was waived by the Lions during final roster cutdowns. Re-signed to the practice squad the next day, he didn’t see any action that season. Kennedy signed a reserve/future contract for 2021.
That season, Kennedy appeared in a total of seven games, catching his first NFL pass, a 15-yard reception, in a 34-11 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on October 17, 2021. He also returned four kickoffs for 83 yards. Returning to the practice squad following that game, Kennedy didn’t appear on the roster again until October 31st, when he was activated for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. But he was targeted only once, and the pass was incomplete.
On November 8, Kennedy was waived and re-signed to the practice squad. Although he returned to the active roster on November 20th, he wasn’t targeted again until December 12, when he caught a 7-yard pass. Over the course of the next five games, Kennedy was targeted 7 times, catching four of those passes for 32 yards. He finished the season with six receptions for 54 yards.
In January of 2022, in a display of heads-up versatility, Kennedy threw his first NFL touchdown, a 75-yard bomb to Kalif Raymond on a trick play against the Green Bay Packers. It was the longest score thrown by a wide receiver in franchise history. The Lions won that game, 37–30.
He finished 2022 with 8 receptions on 15 targets for 141 yards.
Kennedy, A Step Back In 2023
Although Kennedy signed a reserve/future contract for the 2023 season, a July training camp injury caused him to be placed on injured reserve. Although he returned to the team in late November, he didn’t appear in any games in 2023. A future/ reserve contract was signed for 2024.
A Turning Point: Kennedy Makes An Impact on Special Teams
Sometimes, all it takes for a football player to make an impact is the chance to prove himself. The Lions gave Kennedy that opportunity in 2024. Instead of pigeonholing him on offense as a backup receiver, Kennedy was deployed as a return specialist on special teams. The move paid off. He led the team that season, with 167 yards on six returns, averaging 27.8 yards per carry. It seemed as if the Lions had found untapped potential in Kennedy, and he would finally survive the roster cutdown in 2025. But once again, Kennedy found himself on the outside looking in. However, his 2025 special teams’ performance, along with four receptions for 36 yards, has earned him the right to make the 53-man roster.
Will Tom Kennedy’s Perseverance Pay Off?
Describing the final roster cutdown process, Campbell talked about how Kennedy just missed out in the past, “And to his credit, he just continues to go back to work. He gets on the vet squad, he kicks ass in practice, gives a great look, and we throw him in on our offense. If one of our guys needs a break, he goes in at the F. He goes in at the Z. He goes in at the X, with (Lions QB Jared) Goff, and he crushes it, right? So, when his number’s called, we don’t miss a beat. Like, we trust him.”
That trust should pay off. Despite added competition from rookie Kendrick Law and veterans Greg Dortch and Cedric Wilson, this will be the year when Kennedy is finally recognized as one of the top 53 players who make the roster out of training camp.
