On Saturday, ahead of traveling to the West Coast for a Week 15 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions announced that they have downgraded two players to OUT: safety Thomas Harper (concussion) and Christian Mahogany (fibula).
With Brian Branch likely headed to injured reserve later on Saturday (transactions are typically announced at 4 pm ET), and Kerby Joseph already ruled out, the Lions were hopeful that Harper would be available to start alongside Anthony Maddox against the Rams. Unfortunately, it appears Harper was unable to clear the NFL’s concussion protocols, despite practicing all three days this past week. Returning to practice is a key component in progressing through the NFL’s protocols. However, players in the protocol still need to be medically cleared, and it can be assumed that Harper did not pass the independent medical testing.
With the Lions’ top three safeties unavailable, there is no clear frontrunner to start alongside Maddox on Sunday. Veteran Daniel Thomas looks like he could be the next man up, but he is primarily a special teamer and may not be the preferred option. The Lions also claimed Jalen Mills off waivers this week, but with only a few days of practice, he seems unlikely to be ready to step into a starting role.
The most likely candidate to challenge Thomas for the starting role is Erick Hallett. While currently on the practice squad, Hallett could be a candidate for roster elevation, as he has already started one game for the Lions this season (against the Buccaneers in Week 7). He was also the first name Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned when discussing the options at safety this week.
“We’ll be good. Look, Hallett’s been taking reps, (Thomas) DT’s been taking reps, Maddox has been taking reps. We’ve got plenty of guys. They’re getting valuable reps, so we’re good,” Campbell said on Friday.
Mahogany started his injury evaluation clock this week, and while the Lions initially left the door open for him to return to the active roster for this game, he’s not quite ready and was downgraded to out, keeping him on injured reserve. With two weeks remaining in his evaluation window, Mahogany still has a lot of time to rehabilitate. That being said, he appeared to be close to returning for this game, meaning he will likely have a good chance of returning in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Look for the Lions to ask Kayode Awosika to start at left guard this week. However, if his foot injury keeps him from that role, the Lions could turn back to veteran Trystan Colon, who started at left guard last week. We could also see rookie Miles Frazier get some pre-planned reps, regardless of who starts, as coaches are looking to get him more experience.
See More:
