Lions waive Tom Kennedy, sign former Mr. Irrelevant Trey Quinn

Friday brought the first padded practice of 2023 training camp for the Detroit Lions. The day also brought a move on the back end of the roster, as wide receiver Tom Kennedy was waived with an injury designation and wide receiver Trey Quinn was signed.

Kennedy, a fan favorite, a favorite of the coaching staff and a preseason star in past years, suffered an upper body injury while attempting to make a catch during Wednesday's practice. He has a possible path back to the Lions, if he clears waivers. He could land back on team's injured reserve list, which would end his season (let's call this unlikely right now). If he's given an injury settlement, which would make him a free agent, he could be re-signed after a designated time.

His injury does not seem to be season-ending serious, so another team will almost surely claim Kennedy off waivers.

Detroit Lions training camp: Who is Trey Quinn?

Quinn was the final pick ("Mr. Irrelevant") in the 2018 NFL Draft by Washington. He spent two seasons there, then he played one game for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 and the Denver Broncos in 2022, with no game appearances, before landing with the Michigan Panthers in the USFL this year. He had 37 receptions for 438 yards for the Panthers, who played their home games at Ford Field this past season. He has 35 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns in 16 NFL games, with 26 of those catches coming in 2019 for Washington.

With Kennedy banged up, and Jameson Williams and Marvin Jones dealing with injuries early in camp, the Lions needed an additional healthy body at wide receiver as much as anything right now. Quinn may find a way to stick around, if only on the practice squad eventually, and he has an opportunity back in the NFL.