Tom Kennedy seemed to have finally found his niche with the Detroit Lions in 2025. His goal for 2026 needs to be finding a way to keep that role locked down.
The Detroit Lions receiver who has bounced on and off the team since 2021 had a great end to his season last year, acting as one of their main kickoff returners. In one particular contest against the Dallas Cowboys, Kennedy had 120 kick return yards on three returns, with one helping to get Detroit to within an easy score for Jake Bates.
Kennedy has major competition on the returner front this offseason, with the Lions bringing in Greg Dortch to compete with him at that position, and with the team still rostering Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki. But, he showed more than enough in 2025 to potentially, finally, land a permanent spot with the team as their primary returner.
Kennedy could land as primary returner for Lions this season
On the year, Kennedy had 16 kickoff attempts for 447 total yards, with his longest coming in that Cowboys game in December. He only played in six games for the Lions in 2025, making his 447 total yards gained even more impressive. His strength getting down the field and while shedding blockers was very impressive, and very replicable for 2026.
Kennedy, who is the longest tenured player on the Lions roster, should be fighting tooth and nail to retain this job this season. The wide receiver room is unbelievably crowded as it is, with the team also bringing in two UFL stars to compete for backup jobs behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and likely Isaac TeSlaa.
READ MORE: Sam LaPorta's injury status quietly becomes a major Lions offseason storyline
Just as Kalif Raymond's departure impacts the WR3 room, it also impacts the returner room - he had been one of the best in Lions history, tallying 1,485 total punt return yards since 2021. Detroit also hasn't had as great of a kick returner since Mel Gray, who had 5,478 total kick return yards between 1989 and 1994.
Finding a reliable returner would be huge for Detroit's offense, especially if their defense struggles to get stops to begin the year. Advantageous field positioning thanks to Kennedy's returns helped them to seal that win against Dallas in 2025, and if he can replicate that performance consistently this season, he could be well on his way towards being one of their best returners in recent history.
Add us as a preferred source on Google