Detroit Lions Sign Former Washington Commanders DT to Practice Squad

Detroit Lions target 6'6 defensive lineman to add depth to practice squad.

Former Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jeffrey M'ba (60) on the sidelines during their game against the Lions | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Detroit Lions announced a practice squad roster decision that should help add depth to the defensive line.

According to multiple reports, former Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jeffrey M'Ba has been inked to Detroit's practice squad.

Since he was designated in the league's International Pathways Program, he is the 17th member of the practice squad.

M'Ba, 27, is a 6-foot-6 defensive tackle who played collegiately at Independence, Auburn, Purdue, and SMU.

He went undrafted in 2026, but was able to land with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent. M'Ba did not make the Commanders initial 53-man roster coming out of training camp, but returned on their practice squad.

After being cut, M'Ba quickly found his way to Detroit. Tyleik Williams is currently dealing with a foot injury, so added depth could be warranted moving forward at practice.

A native of Libreville, Gabon, he recorded 42 tackles (16 solo), five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in his final season with the Mustangs.

Secondary, linebackers doing defensive line a disservice

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard acknowledged the solid play of the defensive line against the Carolina Panthers.

Detroit's defensive line was able to record three sacks and regularly pressured Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

Unfortunately, the linebackers unit and secondary were not executing at a high level.

"I told them and I told the D-line, 'It's a disservice what we've been doing to you all.' I truly feel like this is the best D-line we've had in my six-year tenure here since I got here in 2021," said Sheppaed. "And we haven't been complementing it well enough on the backend to see the benefits of it and be outright beneficiaries is what they should be with what the D-line is doing, especially Sunday night. They assaulted the pocket all night. They generated pressure all night on the quarterback.

"But as you saw, the quarterback was able to get the ball out with the quick release and get it completed far too many times. So, there are things we've corrected, there are things we've talked about going into another tall task this week against Arizona and (Cardinals Head Coach Mike) LaFleur coming from the LA Rams."

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