The Detroit Lions have picked a long snapper, and it’s the same one they employed the past two years.
The Lions released veteran long snapper Jake McQuaide on Monday, giving the job to incumbent Scott Daly for 2023.
Daly handled long-snapping duties for the Lions the past two seasons, but the team signed McQuaide, a two-time Pro Bowler, this spring to try and expedite his development.
“Daly’s done a great job since he’s been here, but at the end of last season I felt like, personally, and him and I’ve talked about this, but I felt like personally, he didn’t make the step forward that we wanted to see from him from the year before,” Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Saturday. “We thought he got better, but maybe he could get better at a faster rate and sometimes competition helps accelerate that process.”
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Daly “elevated” his play after McQuaide’s arrival.
“He’s gotten better,” Campbell said. “His speed of his snaps, location, getting out of his stance and protection are – like it’s showing up.”
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The Lions still have one specialist position up for grabs at kicker, where Riley Patterson and Parker Romo are in a neck-and-neck battle that could last the entire preseason. Patterson, who made 13 of 14 field goals for the Lions in 2021, is the more experienced kicker, while Romo has unique leg talent.
The Lions also waived receiver Tom Kennedy from injury reserve with an injury settlement Monday and signed offensive lineman Bobby Hart. Kennedy suffered a shoulder injury early in training camp, while Hart has played for five NFL teams in his eight-year career and appeared in 15 games as a backup with the Buffalo Bills last season.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.