It didn’t take long for the Detroit Lions to find help for their receiving corps.

The Lions are expected to sign veteran receiver Tim Patrick to their practice squad, ESPN reported Tuesday.

Patrick was released by the Denver Broncos as part of their cut down to a 53-player roster Tuesday. As a vested veteran, he is not subject to waivers.

The 30-year-old Patrick has spent parts of the past seven seasons with the Broncos, but missed the 2022-23 seasons with ACL and Achilles injuries. In 2021, he caught a career-high 53 passes for 734 yards and five touchdowns, and adds size (6 feet 4, 212 pounds) and a deep-play element to the Lions offense.

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The Lions kept just four receivers at Tuesday’s NFL roster deadline: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond and undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams. Jameson Williams is the only receiver taller than 6 feet.

Lions coach Dan Campbell acknowledged Monday the Lions were undersized at the position, but said adding a bigger receiver was not imperative for the offense.

“I wouldn’t say (not having one) limits us, but like any offense or defense, man, you want, ‘Give us everything,’” Campbell said. “If you can have it all, then you can use it all. But no, it’s not going to limit what we do. It would be a luxury to have.”

The Lions have one open spot on their 53-man roster, and could use that to add a player off waivers or another veteran, or save it for Patrick.

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They are expected to place defensive tackle John Cominsky on injured reserve in the coming days to create another opening, and have indicated they plan to re-sign nose tackle Kyle Peko, who they released as part of their initial roster cuts Tuesday.

In Denver, Patrick was the odd man out in a receiving corps that features Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, former Lions receiver Josh Reynolds and rookie Troy Franklin.

In 2021, the Lions acquired receiver Trinity Benson in a cut-day trade with the Broncos in an effort to bolster their receiver room. Benson caught 10 passes in nine games with the Lions over two seasons.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

The Detroit Tigers wrapped up its Windy City road trip on Monday with a four-game sweep of the lowly Chicago White Sox putting the team at the .500 mark late in the season for the first time in what seems like forever.

AJ Hinch’s squad has been hitting on all cylinders since their series at the Cincinnati Reds in early July thanks in large part to a revitalized offense along with a tenacious pitching staff that has surprisingly worked its way through injuries and ineffectiveness. Now they return home to host the Los Angeles Angels for a trio in Comerica Park this week looking to add more to the win column.

The Halos currently reside in the basement of the American League West 16 games behind the first-place Houston Astros and two games behind the fourth-place Oakland Athletics. Having lost five in a row and getting swept at the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series last weekend, they arrive in the Motor City on the downswing.

Below is a look at the pitching matchup for Tuesday night’s affair, with both teams turning in TBDs for Wednesday and the Angels lining up a rookie on Thursday.

Detroit Tigers (66-66) vs Los Angeles Angels (54-77)

Times (ET): Tues: 6:40 p.m.; Wed: 6:40 p.m.; Thurs: 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Halos Heaven
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 133: LHP Brant Hurter (1-1, 3.57 ERA) vs. RHP Johnny Cueto (0-1, 4.26 ERA)

Hurter

Cueto

Game 134: TBD vs. TBD

Neither starter was announced at the time of publication.

Game 135: TBD vs. RHP Jack Kochanowicz (1-3, 6.08 ERA)

Series Outlook: Let’s keep the winning going!

As well as the Tigers have been playing for the past month and change, there is no reason Detroit cannot take at least two of three from Los Angeles this week. Sure, sweeping the ChiSox was not a massive accomplishment but the team has been trending upward since before that series.

The Angels are ranked 26th in OPS (.674) and 27th in runs scored (515) among MLB teams on offense while coming in at 27th in ERA (4.58), 25th in WHIP (1.32) and tied for 17th in batting average against (.242). Compare that with the Olde English D, which is ranked 23rd in OPS (.687) and 19th in runs scored (562) while coming in 10th in ERA (3.83), third in WHIP (1.20) and in a four-way tie for ninth in batting average against (.238).

The Motor City Kitties should not have any issues preventing their weekday opponents from scoring and should also be able to plate a few players themselves. Expect an exciting series as the clock ticks down on the 2024 campaign.