Three Lions Hit IR, and the Door Swings Open for Branch and Mays

Lions fans, the bye week ended with tough news and some hope in the same transaction.

Our Take: Losing Tom Kennedy hurts the return game, but those open roster spots are the runway Brian Branch and Cade Mays have been waiting for.

The Lions announced Friday that they placed guard Ben Bartch, receiver Tom Kennedy and linebacker Devin White on injured reserve, per the team's official transactions page. Dan Campbell said this week that Kennedy will miss the rest of the season after knee surgery, according to the Detroit Free Press. White broke his forearm against Arizona, but Campbell said he could return later this year.

All three must miss at least four games, and the moves leave three open spots on the 53-man roster, per Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper. Branch and Mays have already been designated for return, so they could take two of them. The team said last week it was eyeing Week 7 against Green Bay at Ford Field for both players' return.

Detroit also signed veteran returner DeAndre Carter to the practice squad, per Pro Football Rumors.

What to watch: Branch and Mays getting officially activated before the Packers game, and how Carter fills the return job.

Sources: [DetroitLions.com transactions](https://www.detroitlions.com/team/transactions/2026), [Detroit Free Press](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2026/10/16/detroit-lions-injury-update-as-tom-kennedy-2-others-on-ir/92287464007/), [Pro Football Talk](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/lions-put-ol-ben-bartch-wr-tom-kennedy-lb-devin-white-on-injured-reserve), [Pro Football Rumors](https://www.profootballrumors.com/2026/10/lions-to-sign-wr-deandre-carter), [DetroitLions.com inactives](https://www.detroitlions.com/news/inactives-lions-at-cardinals-williams-branch-mays)