Jake McQuaide‘s effort to land the Lions’ long snapping job looks to have ended. The team released the 12-year veteran Monday, leaving Scott Daly on track to keep his position.
The Lions also signed veteran tackle Bobby Hart and removed wide receiver Tom Kennedy from their IR list with an injury settlement. These transactions did not register on the same level as Detroit’s Teddy Bridgewater addition, but they will affect the team’s depth chart.
A former snapper with the Rams and Cowboys, McQuaide signed with the Lions in March. The Dan Campbell–Brad Holmes era had featured Daly — a 2018 UDFA who did not debut until 2021 — as the snapper for all 34 games, but the team brought in the 35-year-old free agent as competition. McQuaide has snapped in 181 career games. While long snappers generally bring durability due to the nature of their position, McQuaide is coming off a season in which a triceps tear sidelined him after four games.
Hart, who will turn 29 this month, operated as a Bills backup throughout the 2022 season. After bouncing around in 2021, Hart stayed on Buffalo’s active roster last year and played 125 offensive snaps. A suspension knocked Hart out of a September game, but he returned to work as a backup the rest of the way.
A former Giants seventh-round pick, Hart has done well to extend his career toward the 10-year mark. This will be Year 9 for the Florida State alum, who has started 67 games over the course of his career. The Giants made Hart a rookie-year starter, but after Dave Gettleman took over as GM in December 2017, the team cut bait immediately. The Bengals gave Hart a chance soon after and then re-signed him to a three-year, $16.2MM deal in March 2019. Hart played two seasons on that contract, working as Cincinnati’s primary right tackle in that span. The Bengals cut him in 2021.
The Lions have no questions about starting tackle roles, with Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell locked into their respective spots. Hart offers depth alongside fellow free agency addition Germain Ifedi, who has played both tackle and guard as a pro. The Lions also brought back Graham Glasgow, who has started 91 career games, this offseason. Detroit has done well to stockpile experienced depth behind its upper-echelon front five.