Like most NFL teams in training camp, the Detroit Lions have been dealing with their fair share of injuries, and of late, even some of the players they’ve signed as replacements have been bitten by the injury bug. On Thursday, ahead of their second day of joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, the Lions placed cornerback Dicaprio Bootle and offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland on injured reserve, while signing two new players—Allan George and Zack Johnson—to help fill out their 90-man roster.
Bootle was signed two days before training camp opened, as a direct response to corners Kalil Dorsey and Stantley Thomas-Oliver opening up camp on the PUP list. Since then, Bootle has slowly climbed up the Lions depth chart and was repping as high as CB5. But with the Lions’ secondary dealing with some short-term injuries, Bottle has found himself in a starting role in some practices. With him now on injured reserve, local cornerback Nick Whiteside, who has shown a lot of promise, should see his opportunities grow.
Sutherland was signed just four days ago and was injured in his second practice with the team. He was originally signed after the Lions placed Colby Sorsdal on injured reserve following their most recent preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.
With the Lions giving their starters a lot of reps in joint practices with the Dolphins, they are expected to rest upwards of 30+ players in Saturday’s preseason game with Miami, and they’ll need players at specific positions for depth. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the Lions signed a cornerback and an offensive lineman to replenish those positions’ depth.
Allan George played corner at Vanderbilt and went undrafted in 2022, originally joining the Cincinnati Bengals for his first two seasons in the NFL. He signed a futures deal with the Washington Commanders this past offseason, but was released from their roster three days ago. He saw the field in four games in 2022 and registered two tackles, but has been on practice squads since.
Zack Johnson (6-foot-6, 315) played his college ball at North Dakota State, where Lions tight ends coach Tyler Roehl was his offensive coordinator for his final season with the Bisons. He has experience playing all five positions on the offensive line, but has mainly been a practice squader for his entire five-year career. Over that time, Johnson has been on seven different NFL rosters, starting his career in Green Bay at left tackle and most recently being with San Francisco, where he saw time at center. He was also with the UFL Birmingham Stallions during their championship run in 2024, earning ALL-UFL honors for his play at guard.
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