The Lions have promoted wide receiver Jace Billingsley to the 53-man roster. To take his place on the practice squad, the team has added quarterback Brad Kaaya. 
Billingsley, 24, first joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2016. A product of NAIA school Eastern Oregon, Billingsley spent the bulk of 2016 on the Lions’ practice squad and earned a promotion to the 53-man team later in the year. He did not dress for a game, however.
Kaaya, a sixth-round pick, was in the same Lions rookie class as Billingsley. In September, the Lions opted against keeping Kaaya around as a third-string project. They forged ahead with Matthew Stafford and Jake Rudock as their only QBs on the varsity squad and missed their chance to stash Kaaya on the p-squad when the Panthers claimed him. On Oct. 18, they claimed him off of waivers from the Panthers, but released him on Monday in order to make room for the return of Khyri Thornton.
It appears that Kaaya’s stock has cooled since the spring of 2016 when evaluators were drooling over his football IQ. His reps likely could not find a 53-man roster spot for him elsewhere, leading him to the Lions’ taxi squad.
I know it was preseason but this guy shown some flash. Lions need a weapon at WR.
Kaaya was a lions 2017 draft pick. Billingsly was undrafted from the 2016 class.