Getty Desmond Trufant during a Lions game in 2020.
The Detroit Lions have struggled with injury most of the second half of the 2020 season, and now they’ve added a few more names to their growing list on injured reserve.
This past offseason, the Lions signed both cornerback Desmond Trufant as well as defensive tackle Danny Shelton. The pair were expected to lead a resurgence on the defensive side of the ball, but they’ve only managed to bring misfortune to the Lions this season given how they’ve struggled badly with health and play most of the time.
Wednesday, the duo was placed on injured reserve in a move which could potentially end their respective seasons given the timeline of which this played out. Detroit has a mere five games left this season, and could now be facing them without both of these players the rest of the way.
The #Lions placed CB Desmond Trufant and DT Danny Shelton on Injured Reserve, potentially ending their season given the timing. WR Kenny Golladay (hip) is still not practicing.
Obviously, this will open things up for others to perhaps make a case to stay in the future for the Lions, but it’s safe to say a pair of the biggest free agent signings Bob Quinn had last offseason have met their untimely end in Detroit as it relates to a lost 2020 season on the field.
Desmond Trufant Stats
Trufant has not had the bounce back season he or anyone else wanted in Detroit this year. After playing and getting injured in Week 1, Trufant has been in and out of the lineup and battling plenty of nagging issues through the season. The Lions haven’t managed to get much elite play out of Trufant this season, which has been very frustrating for the team to note. This offseason, they signed him to a deal in order to play a major role at cornerback, but that signing only looks to have failed considering his health and sketchy production.
This year, Trufant has a mere 20 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception to his credit. That’s not what the Lions wanted to see on his ledger at more than halfway past the midway point combined with plenty of unfortunate injuries. It’s easy to call him a failed free agency signing as a result of this misfortune.
Danny Shelton Stats
Shelton came to Detroit because he had an intimate knowledge of Matt Patricia’s defense and the Lions felt as if he would be a fit. So far, Shelton has played average at best most of the year with just 36 total tackles and 1 sack to his credit. That’s not going to get things done whatsoever from a production standpoint. Obviously, losing Shelton will be tough thanks to the fact that he plays a role on the team’s already weak defensive line. That doesn’t change the fact that the Lions likely wanted more from this signing than they have been able to receive so far.
Shelton and Trufant are both still under contract for 2021. Safe to say Lions fans will want to watch and see what happens with a new regime on both fronts on after this duo struggled with play and health most of this year.
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