The Detroit Lions announced on Saturday that they will not activate any of their players from their injury lists and have downgraded guard Miles Frazier (knee, PUP), EDGE Marcus Davenport (shoulder, IR), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (ACL, PUP), and corner D.J. Reed (hamstring, IR) to OUT. Additionally, the Lions have added rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa to their injury report (oblique) and list him as questionable.
The biggest surprise here is that Rodriguez was not activated to the 53-man roster. Throughout his recovery, the belief was that Rodriguez was targeting the Eagles game for his return. With three weeks of practices under the injury evaluation umbrella—including practicing in full in all three practices this week—things looked as if they were lining up for his return. Unfortunately, that move did not happen.
As for why that move didn’t happen, there are a few possible explanations. First, he may simply not be ready to return physically. The Lions still have until Tuesday to make a decision on his status for return, so there is a brief amount of time remaining in the window for the team to make sure he’s ready.
Second, the Lions may need roster space to address injuries at other positions. While the Lions did open up a spot on the 53-man roster by placing defensive tackle Pat O’Connor on injured reserve on Friday, they have a very lengthy injury report this week, which could require them to use that opening (plus their two elevations) at other positions. Rodriguez’s return would give the Lions seven rostered linebackers, which may be excessive with needs elsewhere on gameday.
The decision to downgrade Frazier, Davenport, and Reed was expected, and something coach Dan Campbell even alluded to during his Friday press conference. While a decision on Rodriguez needs ot be made by Tuesday, the Lions still have another 10 days remaining in Frazier’s evaluation window, while Davenport and Reed still have 17 days available.
As for TeSlaa, his addition to the injury report is mildly concerning, as mid-week injuries typically result in a player being unavailable to play in the upcoming game. While not a hard-and-fast rule—see Amik Robertson this week—there is enough concern that the Lions may need to make a roster decision at wide receiver.
The Lions will announce any roster elevations later on Saturday, and they are expected to add/elevate a tight end and an offensive lineman. However, if they need to also add a wide receiver to cover for TeSlaa, it could possibly explain the need for an extra roster spot.
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