The Detroit Lions are bringing in some big help to provide depth on their offensive line.
After losing starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai to a knee injury, the Lions added Dan Skipper to the practice squad. Skipper is the NFL’s tallest player at 6-foot-10, and is now back for his fourth stint in Detroit.
The Lions were forced to make a series of roster moves to fill holes created by injuries over the course of the last week.
Popular Offensive Lineman Returns to Detroit
As Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports noted, Skipper started five games with the Lions last season and gained a reputation as a well-liked player.
“He was part of one of the more memorable moments of the season last year when the entire locker room was cheering his name after his first career start,” Payton wrote.
Skipper signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason, but was released at final roster cutdowns and remained a free agent before coming back to Detroit.
The Lions had an open spot on their practice squad after lineman Kayode Awosika was signed to the active roster. With Graham Glasgow expected to move into Vaitai’s starting job, Awosika will serve as a backup.
The Lions could also be missing left tackle Taylor Decker, who missed the team’s 37-31 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on September 17.
“I can’t say that with a ton of confidence, right now, that I know we’ll have Decker back,” said in an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, adding that the team may be thin for the upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons. “I mean, we did, we got hit — and we’ve been pretty good up to this point in this part of the season, but we got hit with the bug. Look, we got hit with it last year, early in the year. And so, we got to weather this storm. It’s why we’ve got the guys that we have on this roster that we have at these positions.”
Lions Filling Injury Holes
The Lions made a number of other roster moves after being hit hard by injuries this week. They also promoted running back Zonovan Knight from the practice squad to the active roster after David Montgomery suffered an injury that is expected to keep him out for a couple of weeks.
They also placed linebacker James Houston and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson on injured reserve. While Houston may be able to return, Gardner-Johnson appears to have suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said there was a chance that Gardner-Johnson might be able to return late this season, but said he felt terrible for the 25-year-old.
“Ended up being bad news,” Campbell said. “I hate it for him. You know, that’s tough. But look, we’ll see where this thing goes. And there’s a chance he comes back this season. Listen, we got Tracy, man. And that’s why Tracy Walker’s here. He’s somebody that — there’s a reason why we wanted to resign him. He was coming off injury, and man, it’s next man up.”
Lions Bring Back NFL’s Tallest Player for Fourth Stint With Team