Lions sign Allen Robinson to the 53-man roster after one-snap debut in Week 3

On Tuesday, in a move that was inevitable, the Detroit Lions signed wide receiver Tim Patrick to their 53-man roster after two practice squad elevations. On Thursday, with one spot on the 53-man roster open, the Lions have signed wide receiver Allen Robinson to their active roster.

Linebacker Abraham Beauplan, who spent time with the Lions during the preseason, has been signed to the practice spot in the corresponding move to Robinson being signed to the 53-man roster.

Robinson was signed to the Lions' initial practice squad going into the season after the New York Giants left him go at final roster cuts. He was elevated to the game day roster for the first time last week against the Cardinals, but he played just one snap and it was a run play.

Robinson is a Detroit native, and he played his high school ball at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. He was an All-American at Penn State and a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014. Once one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL, the most recent of his three career 1,000-yard seasons was with the Chicago Bears in 2020. He spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with 34 receptions for 280 yards.

Lions giving Allen Robinson a quick opportunity on the active roster

Patrick has played a fair amount of snaps in each of his two games in a Lions' uniform, with a total of three catches for 20 yards. It's interesting that Robinson is being signed to the active roster after just one practice squad elevation, and after playing one snap. But similarly to how injuries made it easy to sign Patrick to the active roster early this week, the chance to do the same with Robinson was opened.

In a broad sense, the Lions should want to get a good look at what they have with Patrick and/or Robinson sooner rather than later. If neither proves they can fill the "Josh Reynolds role" in the wide receiving corps, then other options could (and should) be explored.

How much Robinson plays next Monday night remains to seen, but the Lions clearly want to see more of him-not that they could see any less of him in game action than they did last Sunday.