According to Brownwood News, the Detroit Lions have signed kicker Matt McCrane to their practice squad. This move comes after the New York Giants signed Greg Joseph off the Lions’ practice squad,

leaving Detroit without the veteran backup kicker they have sought since the season began.

McCrane has spent the past two years in alternative spring leagues, playing for the DC Defenders, who participated in both the 2023 XFL and the 2024 merged UFL.

Last season, he converted 16 of 20 field goal attempts, with a longest kick of 58 yards. The year prior, he was 12 of 16 on field goals, with a long of 50 yards.

Over his two years with the Defenders, he demonstrated strong long-distance accuracy, going 6 of 8 on kicks from 50 yards or more.Before his time in the spring leagues,

McCrane had a varied stint with several NFL teams since entering the league in 2018. In his rookie season, he played for four different teams, appearing in five games with three of them.

During that time, he made all nine of his extra point attempts but was only 8 of 12 on field goals, with all misses coming from distances of 47 yards or longer.With this signing,

McCrane provides the Lions with additional depth behind starter Jake Bates, who also had a standout season in the UFL last year.

So far in his rookie season with the Lions, Bates has been flawless, making all five of his field goal attempts and all three extra points, though he has yet to attempt a kick from 40 yards or beyond.