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Lions Coach Shares Decision on Amon-Ra St. Brown After Unfortunate News
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- Lions Coach Shares Decision on Amon-Ra St. Brown After Unfortunate News
Tom Kennedy was averaging 13.2 yards per punt return, sixth in the NFL, when an MCL injury ended his 2026 season in the Detroit Lions' 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on October 11.
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Thursday that DeAndre Carter will step in as the team's punt returner and kick returner in place of Kennedy, according to The Detroit News' Richard Silva.
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The change also matters for the Lions' offensive captain, Amon-Ra St. Brown, who handled punt returns after Kennedy went down. Head coach Dan Campbell said on Oct. 12 that he did not want St. Brown to field punts for an entire game, so Carter taking over could ease that workload.
Carter, 33, signed with the Lions' practice squad on Oct. 15. The eight-year NFL veteran has not appeared in an NFL game this season. He has 155 career punt returns for 1,508 yards, and in 2024 with the Chicago Bears, he averaged 31.9 yards per kick return, second in the NFL.
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Carter has also contributed as a receiver. He caught a career-high 46 passes for 538 yards with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022.
Kennedy had handled all of Detroit's punt returns and split kick return duties with Jacob Saylors, averaging 26.0 yards per kick return.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Detroit is 3-2 and hosts the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Ford Field in Week 7. It is the first of two consecutive home games against NFC North opponents for the Lions, who are coming off a bye week. Special teams could carry extra weight against a division rival, especially if the Lions want to keep St. Brown out of the return game.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
