Detroit Lions sign Jake Rudock, 6 others to practice squad

Jake Rudock may not be Matthew Stafford's backup anymore, but he's still a Detroit Lion.

The Lions signed Rudock and seven other players to their practice squad Sunday, a day after waiving the quarterback in their initial cut to 53 players.

Rudock, in his third year out of Michigan, lost the backup job to Matt Cassel, but still showed enough in training camp that the Lions wanted to keep him around as their third quarterback.

More:Lions awarded 2 waiver claims: OT Andrew Donnal, CB Dee Virgin

Rudock completed 58 of 85 passes (68.2 percent) this preseason for 425 yards and three touchdowns. Cassel, who's 11 years older than Rudock, had a stronger preseason and won the No. 2 job based on his experience.

Along with Rudock, the Lions re-signed six other players they cut Saturday: Linebacker Alex Barrett, cornerback Mike Ford, wide receiver Chris Lacy, safety Rolan Milligan, linebacker Darnell Sankey and offensive tackle Dan Skipper. 

The Lions also are signing former New England Patriots outside linebacker Eric Lee and former Chicago Bears cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc to the practice squad.

The Boston Herald first reported the Lee signing.

Lee had 3.5 sacks in six games with five starts last year for the Patriots, when first-year Lions coach Matt Patricia was his defensive coordinator.

The Lions have one more opening on practice squad. Center Leo Koloamatangi, who made the initial 53-man roster only to be waived to make room for two waiver claims Sunday, could fill that vacancy.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!