The Detroit Lions added a body to their defensive tackle room Friday, agreeing to terms with veteran Ben Stille on a one-year contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the signing on X: “Lions are signing veteran DT Ben Stille to a one-year deal.”
Detroit made it official soon after, and the corresponding move landed on the other side of the ball. The Lions waived cornerback De’Shawn Rucker, who had left Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury, to clear a roster spot for Stille.
The timing lines up with a rough couple of days up front for Detroit. Defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo also exited Thursday’s session early, being evaluated for a groin injury, while edge rusher Tyler Lacy left practice as well without an update on his status. Multiple outlets have been careful not to draw a direct line between those exits and the Stille signing — nothing officially ties the two together — but the roster math speaks for itself. A thin defensive tackle room just got an experienced arm.
Who Is Ben Stille?
Stille, 28, is a well-traveled interior lineman out of Nebraska who went unselected in the 2022 draft. He caught on with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent, made one appearance that rookie season, then got released and picked up by the Cleveland Browns, where he closed out the year with six more games.
Arizona claimed him off waivers after the 2023 draft, and he spent the next two seasons cycling between the Cardinals’ active roster and practice squad. The Buccaneers signed him away from Arizona’s practice squad in 2024 and played him in three games before releasing him that September. He returned to the Cardinals on a futures deal, only to be waived again in June. From there he bounced through practice-squad stints with both the Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons in 2025, finishing the year on a futures contract with Atlanta before the Falcons released him this past May.
In total, Stille has appeared in 18 career NFL games with one start, recording 17 tackles and two sacks. He did not play a regular-season snap in 2025.
| Category | Career Total |
|---|---|
| Games Played | 18 |
| Starts | 1 |
| Tackles | 17 |
| Sacks | 2.0 |
| Teams | Dolphins, Browns, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Falcons (practice squads) |
Where He Fits in Detroit
At 6-foot-4 and 296 pounds, Stille projects best as a three-technique interior rusher, though he has kicked out to the edge before in a pinch. That versatility gives Dan Campbell’s staff a little more flexibility as they sort out the back half of the defensive tackle rotation.
He does carry one built-in advantage over a typical camp addition: Lions defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers coached Stille during his stint with the Buccaneers in 2024. That prior relationship could help him pick up Detroit’s system faster than a completely new face would.
The room itself is deep. Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams are penciled in as the starters, with Levi Onwuzurike, rookie Skyler Gill-Howard and Wingo all competing behind them. Detroit also lost veteran depth this offseason when Roy Lopez and DJ Reader signed elsewhere, and released veteran Jay Tufele before camp began — which helps explain why the front office went looking for another experienced body even with the room already crowded. Stille will have to beat out a stacked group just to make the 53-man roster, and for now he profiles as camp depth rather than a lock.
The Bigger Picture
Detroit is coming off a disappointing 2025 season. The Lions finished 9-8 and were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17 following a Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Vikings, missing the postseason for the first time since 2022 after back-to-back division titles. That backdrop has made this training camp feel higher-stakes than a typical one, with the coaching staff working to sort out roster depth at nearly every position before the preseason opener.
A minor move like the Stille signing won’t headline that rebuild. But it’s exactly the kind of low-cost, low-risk addition teams make in early August — insurance against injury, competition for a fringe roster spot, and a small hedge if Wingo’s issue turns out to be more than day-to-day.
