Detroit Lions will start bringing in tryout players once training camp opens. Four free agents stand out as intriguing candidates, including a familiar face fans know well.
The Detroit Lions open training camp next week, and with it comes the weekly cycle of tryout players filtering through the building. For fans who might not follow the process closely, Detroit brings in a handful of players each week for workouts, and sometimes those guys earn a roster spot while somebody else gets cut. The Lions signed multiple former UFL receivers after tryouts just a few weeks ago, so these workouts carry real weight. With that in mind, here are four players the Lions should bring in during their first week of camp.
You might remember Gill because he was already with the Lions during the 2024 season. It was only for a couple of weeks, but he knows the system, or at least knows it well enough. He just won UFL Defensive Player of the Year and helped lead the Louisville Kings to the UFL championship. Before that, he spent four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was part of the team that won the Super Bowl in 2020. He even sacked Patrick Mahomes in that game.
Gill has also spent time with the Panthers , Vikings, and Lions. He's 28 years old, so he's a little bit older, and Detroit seems to be leaning toward younger players at this point. But this is somebody who makes a lot of sense, and the Lions were clearly interested before. He didn't get cut. The Carolina Panthers signed him off Detroit's practice squad. The Lions got poached. That tells you they intended to keep him around.
Kelly had a really impressive showing at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, and it seemed at the time like he was going to draw broad interest. He went in the fifth round to the Baltimore Ravens , then bounced around. The Ravens cut him, he wound up in Seattle , spent time with the Packers , went to the Commanders , and then the Raiders brought him in during 2024 and finally gave him a real shot. He played 579 snaps last season and got his first career starts.
I'll be honest, the snaps weren't all good, and unfortunately he suffered a season-ending injury, but he's still just 25 years old. I'm not saying you bring in Kelly to be a starter, but he's worth a look as a rotational piece with room to grow. If I were Brad Holmes, I'd think about bringing him in for a tryout.
The Godfather himself went undrafted this year and didn't get signed as an undrafted free agent. As far as I can tell, he hasn't gotten any tryouts either. There were some concerns with blood clots, though he cleared medical checks at the NFL Scouting Combine and a recheck shortly before the draft.
The Lions had a formal meeting with him at the Combine, so the interest was there. I don't know where everything stands with him right now or why no team has given him a shot. But if I'm the Lions, I'm saying, hey, let's at least bring him in and do a medical check. This is a guy who was mocked to go in the second round at one point. He's a big, heavyset nose tackle, a run-stuffing machine with a little bit of pass rush juice. He reminds me of a younger, stouter DJ Reader. I'm shocked he hasn't gotten a shot yet. Detroit needs exactly what he offers.
I don't have to explain too much about Melifonwu. Lions fans know exactly who he is. Detroit drafted him, he spent multiple years with the team, and he can play both cornerback and safety. He's still just 27 years old. He recently tried out with the Titans and the Seahawks , and he played well with the Dolphins. Nobody has signed him, and the Lions could probably get him cheap.
He was here last year for the joint practice and had a little scuffle with Jameson Williams , but that seemed like your average two-players-being-competitive moment. I don't think that's the reason the Lions haven't brought him back. It just makes so much sense for Detroit to have him in. I don't know why they wouldn't.
Detroit Lions News
Mike Payton July 22, 2026
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