The Detroit Lions have officially placed Ifeatu Melifonwu on IR. He’ll miss the next four games.
After four weeks of not practicing, the Detroit Lions finally decided to place Ifeatu Melifonwu on injured reserve. He will now miss the next four games, meaning he’s eligible to return for Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers.
The Lions veteran safety has been dealing with an ankle injury all season, and while it initially looked like he may not miss much time—he was listed as limited in practice all of Week 1—indicating he clearly suffered a setback and has not been able to work his way back onto the field.
As recently as last week, coach Dan Campbell noted that they didn’t think they would have to resort to placing Melifonwu on IR.
“He’s progressing, he really is. He’s progressing. I would say no,” Campbell said. “Now, that can change depending on if something happens here with everything else, the rest of the roster. But, right now, I don’t feel that way and he is getting better.”
But when asked again about Melifonwu’s status this Saturday, Campbell was far less optimistic about any clarity surrounding Melifonwu’s turn.
“No, there’s really not (any clarity),” Campbell said.
Without Melifonwu, the Lions become pretty thin at the safety position. While their starters—Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph—are both healthy and playing at a very high level, the Lions only have Brandon Joseph and Loren Strickland on the 53-man roster as depth, and both have never started an NFL game before. They also have Erick Hallett and Morice Norris on their practice squad.
