On December 21, the Detroit Lions announced a modification to their practice squad. After trading for offensive tackle Michael Schofield, the Lions signed cornerback Craig James.
The official Lions X (formerly Twitter) account announced, “Lions have signed CB Craig James to the practice squad and released OL Michael Schofield from the practice squad.”
#Lions have released OL Michael Schofield from the Practice Squad and signed CB Craig James to the Practice Squad.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 21, 2023
As a possible injury replacement for Jerry Jacobs, who missed practice on December 20, the Lions seem to be adding James. In Week 15, Jacobs sustained a hamstring injury.
James has spent the most of his NFL career on special teams. From 2019 to 21, he played three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Under current Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp, he participated in 237 special teams snaps in 2019.
Under Fipp’s direction, Jeremy Reisman of SB Nation said, “He was a key special teamer for the Eagles, logging a total of 237 snaps—fifth-most on the team.”
Schofield was a member of Detroit’s practice squad for slightly over a month. Schofield didn’t play a snap in the Week 12 game against the Green Bay Packers, after being upgraded by the Lions.
With the Denver Broncos in 2015, Schofield won the Super Bowl.
CB Craig James Signed by Lions Could Strengthen Special Teams
In Week 15, Jacobs was mostly assigned to the Lions’ special teams unit. Now though, Jacobs may not even be available for the team to cover punts.
Although Jacobs’ condition is unknown to be serious, he hasn’t practiced, and the Lions showed interest in a number of cornerbacks prior to landing James.
Ultimately, James—who had previously played for Fipp—was signed by the Lions.
From 2013 to 20, Fipp oversaw special teams for Philadelphia. Fipp’s final two years as an Eagles coach included James in 18 games.
James suited up for 317 special teams snaps in those 18 games.
In 2018, James joined the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent to start his NFL career. As a rookie, he participated in 25 special teams snaps for the Vikings.
James played twice this season for the New York Jets as an elevation from the practice squad after missing all of the NFL regular season games from 2021 to 2022.
He played 42 defensive snaps and 27 special teams snaps, but only managed 1 tackle.
Lions Release Michael Schofield, a Veteran
The Lions left with some offensive line depth to make place for Jacobs.
This season, Detroit’s offensive line depth has been crucial. However, Schofield has not yet played a snap in Detroit, despite the Lions offensive front having a lot of moving elements.
In 2014, Schofield was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the NFL Draft. Schofield started 16 games, including the playoffs in 2015, after sitting out the rookie season. In the Super Bowl game against the Carolina Panthers, he began the game for Denver at right tackle.
After playing every game at right guard for the Broncos in 2016, Schofield signed a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. He started 49 games while playing with the Chargers for four of the following five seasons.
After spending 2020 as a member of the Panthers, Schofield returned to the Chargers in 2021. The previous season, Schofield started five games for the Chicago Bears. Over the course of eight NFL seasons, Schofield has made 113 appearances and 86 starts. Prior to this one, he had started three games in each of the previous five seasons.
