The Jacksonville Jaguars re-signed Daniel Thomas to a two-year contract last offseason to keep the safety out of NFL free agency. But after Thomas’ fifth season with the Jaguars, Jacksonville released the former Auburn standout on Tuesday when it reduced its preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 players.

Thomas wasn’t out of the NFL for long. On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions announced they had signed the safety for their active roster.

During 71 regular-season games – the most by an Auburn player in a Jaguars uniform – and two playoff games, Thomas has developed into one of the NFL’s most active special-teams players.

With Jacksonville, Thomas was on the field for 445 defensive snaps and 1,208 special-teams plays. During his rookie season, Thomas blocked a punt by th

See Full Page