Veteran Lions RB Finds New NFL Home After Abrupt Departure From Rival – Yahoo Sports

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A former Detroit Lions running back is off to his next NFL destination.
The Arizona Cardinals announced that they signed veteran back Jermar Jefferson to their practice squad, giving the former Lions tailback a new opportunity. Jefferson had spent time with the rival Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, but was released just before the start of the regular season in September.
As CBS Sports reported, Jefferson returned to the Cardinals after a brief stint during the 2025 season.
"Jefferson was signed to the Cardinals' practice squad Wednesday," the report noted. "Jefferson worked out with the team Tuesday, and he has now been added to the team's practice unit. The running back played six snaps on special teams over two regular-season contests with Arizona last year, and he will now have a chance to be elevated for a contest with the team down the road this season."
Jefferson came into the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Lions in 2021, spending his first four seasons in Detroit but appearing in only nine games. He spent time with several teams since then, including a stint with the Vikings that ended just before the regular season when he was released with an injury designation.
CBS Sports noted at the time that Jefferson was having a strong preseason before suffering the undisclosed injury that led to a trip to injured reserve.
"Jefferson had a solid preseason, rushing 11 times for 74 yards over three contests," the report noted. "The running back was waived Sunday and cleared waivers, meaning he is set to spend the entirety of the 2026 regular season on IR. If Jefferson would like to sign with another team, he will need to reach an injury settlement with the Vikings to become a free agent."
The Lions have one of the league's top rushing attacks this season, led by MVP candidate Jahmyr Gibbs. But reporter Benjamin Raven of MLive.com noted that the team is giving more carries to veteran backup Sione Vaki. He had 11 carries for 65 yards in last week's win over the then-unbeaten Minnesota Vikings, earning praise from quarterback Jared Goff.
"The dam broke at some point in that second half where it was like, 'Oh, we can just keep leaning on this run and good things are going to happen,'" Goff said. "And Vaki ran his tail off. And when he's able to do that, it just gives Gibbs that much more of a breath on the sideline to come back and do his thing at his full capacity.
"And the O-line loved it. They loved the challenge of, like, we're going to keep leaning on you guys. And I thought they played great."
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