Detroit Lions

The Lions have added a trio of receivers from the UFL on Wednesday.

Detroit announced the club has signed Tay Martin, Tarik Black, and Lucky Jackson.

Martin and Black were both with the Louisville Kings in 2026, while Martin played for the Columbus Aviators.

All three players have also previously spent time in the league. Martin has been with the 49ers, Titans, and Commanders, appearing in seven regular-season games. Black has spent time with the Colts, Jets, Ravens, Steelers, and Dolphins, appearing in one regular season game. Jackson appeared in three games for the Vikings in 2023, also spending time in the CFL.

Additionally, Detroit announce the club has placed receiver Kendrick Law on injured reserve.

Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was able to play just nine games last season, with a back issue getting him placed on injured reserve in mid-November.

After undergoing surgery to repair the injury, LaPorta has been able to do walk-throughs during the offseason program. But otherwise, he’s been working on the side.

However, head coach Dan Campbell noted that LaPorta’s rehab is putting him in a good position for training camp.

“We like where he is going, he is trending the right way,” Campbell said on Tuesday, via transcript from the team.

That’s a significant positive for a team that is implementing a new offense in 2026 and will likely be counting on LaPorta. It’s also good news for the tight end, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal as a second-round pick in 2023.

LaPorta finished 2025 with 40 receptions for 489 yards with three touchdowns in nine games. He had 86 receptions for 889 yards with 10 TDs as a rookie before tallying 60 receptions for 726 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025.

There could be some good things ahead for Lions second-year receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

A third-round pick last season, TeSlaa had some strong moments as a rookie, making six touchdown receptions — including some impressive circus catches.

With a full season under TeSlaa’s belt, head coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday that the young wideout has put together a strong offseason.

“His growth took off and he did — he got a little bit better every week,” Campbell said in his press conference. “He became, I would tell you, by the end of the year, we had a lot of trust in. We believed he could do a lot of jobs. He’s just steady. He’s steady, he’s consistent for a young guy, doesn’t get frazzled. And I mean this as a compliment, what he’s done out here in the spring — Phase II, OTAs, all that — it’s just been very [steady]. There’s been nothing flashy about it. And that’s a good thing.

“He is just consistent and where we expected him to be at this point, this time for Year 2, is exactly where we want him — and I’d say probably even a little bit more, man. You’re impressed. He feels like a veteran right now.”

TeSlaa finished his rookie season with 16 receptions for 239 yards with six touchdowns. He was third on the team in TD receptions behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Calvin Johnson set the NFL’s single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards during the 2012 season and he doesn’t expect to have that spot in the record books for too much longer.

Johnson said on Monday that it is only “a matter of time” before someone is able to top the record that he set in a 16-game season. Cooper Kupp came close to reaching Johnson’s mark during a 17-game season in 2021 and Johnson noted the likelihood that future aspirants are probably going to have one more game than that to make their run at the No. 1 spot.

“If they go to 18 — well, should we say when they go to 18 games?” Johnson said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “When they go to 18 games it’s no doubt about it. Hands down.”

Matthew Stafford was Johnson’s quarterback in 2012 and Kupp’s quarterback in 2021, so it’s fitting that Johnson thinks Stafford’s current top target Puka Nacua is the player with the best chance of setting the new record.

“That would be kind of dope,” Johnson said. “I’d have to go to that game if he did that, cause I like Puka. He’s getting some crap out of his system that’s just a young guy, just learning, but I think he’s an awesome, dynamic receiver.”

Johnson added that he thought Vikings star Justin Jefferson could be the one to break the record, but believes Minnesota “messed up his quarterback situation” and that Jefferson may have missed his window for a bid at the record as a result.

Frank Ragnow said Friday that he didn’t want to retire. His body just didn’t give him a choice.

He announced his retirement last June and attempted a comeback Nov. 29 but failed a physical with a torn hamstring.

Ragnow, 30, spoke for the first time since calling it quits after seven seasons.

“To shoot it to you straight, I was trying to will myself to play. I was,” Ragnow said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “And my body was telling me otherwise and I was just like in like paralysis, if you will. I did not plan on retiring in the middle of the summer, believe it or not. It was like I was trying to get like, ‘You can do it for the guys, for the fans; it’s who you are.’ But it’s just like I was uncomfortable, and it’s one of those things where you have a couple kids, and I don’t want a sob story. I’m OK. I’m going to be completely fine and everything. But it’s one of those things like, I don’t know, is the juice worth the squeeze thing and to me ultimately it came down to that decision.”

The four-time Pro Bowler felt guilty at leaving his teammates, but said he made a “horrid” decision to try to come back last season.

He has officially closed the door on ever playing again.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Ragnow said.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell made Kelvin Sheppard one of his first assistant coach hires when he got the job in 2021, and promoted him to defensive coordinator in 2025. As Sheppard heads into his second season as Detroit’s defensive coordinator, Campbell is seeing continued growth.

Sheppard played linebacker in the NFL and was previously a linebackers coach, but Campbell said Sheppard looks more in sync with the entire defense now that he has a year of experience running it all.

“Relative to last year at this time, he’s just much more comfortable,” Campbell said. “I think he’s got a much better grasp of how he wants it to look. Now he’s coaching all 11. He’s coaching the front, he’s coaching the backers, and he’s coaching the back end. He sees it all. That’s what happens when you’re able to do it, you go through a season, you go through the practices, you diagnose yourself as a play caller and say, This is where we can get a little bit better. You can’t help to get better, whether you’re a head coach, OC, DC, special teams, with time on task, under pressure, making corrections, adapting to personnel, injuries, and he’s done all that. So I love where Shep’s at right now.”

A year ago, the loss of both defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to head-coaching jobs was felt by the Lions, and on offense, Campbell decided he needed to make a change. But on defense, Campbell still thinks he has the right coach for the job, and a coach who will be better in Year Two.

The Cardinals will have a new tight end on the roster when they report to training camp this summer.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that they are signing Kenny Yeboah to their 90-man roster. The veteran tried out for the Chiefs at their minicamp this week, but he will head to Arizona rather than stick around Kansas City.

Yeboah spent four seasons with the Jets before joining the Lions last year. He went on injured reserve in August and did not play in any games during the regular season.

Yeboah had nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in 33 appearances for the Jets.

Lions safety Brian Branch has not returned to the field since tearing his Achilles last December and it remains unclear when that will change.

Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about Branch’s status during a Thursday press conference and he said that there have been “no setbacks” in the safety’s recovery. There also hasn’t been a firm timetable set for his return, however, and Campbell didn’t take a stint on the physically unable to perform list off the list of possible paths that things will take.

“I guess there’s always a chance,” Campbell said. “I’m going to just go ahead and widen the window so we don’t have to talk about it anymore. Let’s just go ahead and say December. Anything before that is a bonus. That way you don’t have to ask me.”

Branch is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and his success in navigating his return to action will likely play into the kind of contract he lands for 2027 and beyond.

After two years as a major contributor, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs was promoted to starter in 2025.

While Detroit did not make the postseason last year, Gibbs was still plenty productive, recording 1,223 yards rushing with 13 touchdowns and catching 77 passes for 616 yards with five TDs.

Now with the departure of David Montgomery, head coach Dan Campbell said the 2026 offense will revolve around Gibbs even more.

“[H]e’s going to be our bell cow now,” Campbell told reporters on Thursday, via transcript from the team. “He really became more of that last year, but we’re going to hang our hat on him quite a bit. We’re going to do a lot of things we feel like he does well.

“Now, I’ve mentioned this before. He can run everything that we’ve got. He can run every scheme that anybody’s ever run. He’s not just an outside runner. He is not just a space runner. He can create his own space in the middle. And some of his biggest runs have been gap scheme right down the pipe where he’s had patience and found it and guys blocked it up well.”

With new coordinator Drew Petzing, Campbell said they’re going to ask a lot of Gibbs, as well as plenty of other offensive contributors. Campbell mentioned Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Isiah Pacheco, and Penei Sewell by name.

“{W]e expect him to have a big year for us,” Campbell said. “We’re going to put a lot on his plate in the run and pass game.”

All this has the backdrop of Gibbs also being eligible for a new contract. Gibbs told reporters this week that he’s letting his agent handle those negotiations while he worries about his own job.

Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is heading into the fourth season of his rookie contract, which means he’s eligible to get a new deal, and surely wants to become one of the highest-paid running backs in football. But he says that’s not on his mind.

Gibbs is participating in the Lions’ voluntary offseason workouts, and he said he’ll let his agent and Lions General Manager Brad Holmes figure out his contract.

“I’m just letting my agent and Brad and all them do do all that right now. I’m just worried about the team and ball,” Gibbs said.

Asked again about his contract, Gibbs made clear that it’s not his focus.

“I don’t know. I don’t really pay attention to all that stuff,” Gibbs said. “I let my agent and Brad do all that — or whoever does it up there, I don’t know. But I just let him do that and I just be out here.”

Gibbs, who was born and raised in Georgia and played his college football at Georgia Tech before transferring to Alabama, said he never envisioned Detroit becoming his home. But after three years, it has.

“I love the people here. I love the sports teams here. It’s just been fun overall — I never thought I’d be here in Detroit growing up, but I really like it here,” Gibbs said.

And the Lions really like having Gibbs, which means an agreement on a new contract shouldn’t be hard to work out.