Brodric Martin returns to Lions practice, begins his 21-day evaluation clock

Detroit Lions NT Brodric Martin has returned to practice, starting his 21-day injury evaluation clock.

The Detroit Lions have started the process to potentially return another player from injured reserve, as nose tackle Brodric Martin has begun practicing on Wednesday, thus opening his 21-day injury evaluation window.

Martin injured his knee in the final game of the preseason and was placed on injured reserve at cutdowns with the expectation that he would return from injury during the season.

Martin and Kyle Peko were battling it out for the reserve nose tackle spot behind DJ Reader during training camp, and while most believed Peko was ahead in the competition, Martin’s injury sealed the deal. Unfortunately, Peko was injured earlier this season and has been placed on injured reserve. Since his absence, the Lions have struggled more against the run than expected. The hope is that Martin can get healthy enough to return to the lineup and take over Peko’s role as a reserve run stuffer with a bit of pass rushing upside.

Martin is a mountain of a man, at 6-foot-5, 322 pounds with underrated athleticism. He has been working on his pad level during his time in the NFL and was beginning to show some of the benefits of his hard work in the preseason before his injury. The potential is there for him to have a solid impact on the Lions’ defensive line, if/when he is able to return sometime in the next 21 days.

If Martin proves he is healthy enough to return to the roster, he is eligible to be removed from injured reserve and placed on the active roster at any time. But, if he is not healthy enough to return by the time the 21-day window expires, the Lions will have to make a decision on whether or not they want to place him on the active roster to recover further, or if they want to keep him on injured reserve, which would end his season.

The Lions are allowed to return up to eight players from injury each season, and after returning rookie offensive guard Christian Mahogany on Tuesday, they still have seven opportunities remaining for other players.

The Lions currently have 13 players on injured reserve, but five were put on the list before the season and are not eligible to return this season. Others, like Peko, Marcus Davenport, and Derrick Barnes are not expected to be able to return from injury during the season, while Aidan Hutchinson is leaving his options open for a potential Super Bowl return. That leaves Martin, Ifeatu Melifonwu, John Cominsky, and Emmanuel Moseley as the players most likely to return from injury this season.