GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Detroit Lions finally made their big move, trading for edge rusher Za’Darius Smith ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. It’s not clear whether Smith will be up to speed in time to play Sunday night against Houston, but the Lions’ defense may get help in other places.
This week, the Lions started the 21-day practice window for safety Ifeatu Melifonwu and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. The two players were placed on injured reserve before the start of the season after suffering injuries in training camp.
The snake-bitten Moseley suffered a torn pectoral muscle in early August. It’s the third consecutive year he has missed a major stretch of the season because of injury. Moseley suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 of the 2022 season with San Francisco. He made his Lions debut in Week 4 last season but played only two snaps before suffering another torn ACL.
When on the field, Moseley has proven to be a steady defender and was expected to compete for a starting spot when he was brought in last year. Now, at minimum, he can provide more depth at the position.
Melifonwu proved to be a key contributor down the stretch last season, recording three sacks and forcing three turnovers in six starts. He was expected to be a key backup for Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph this year but has been nursing an ankle injury since the Lions’ second preseason game against Kansas City.
The team has 21 days from the start of the practice period to activate the players from injured reserve or must shut them down for the rest of the season. Both players practiced fully on Wednesday and Thursday, so it seems likely that they will be activated sooner rather than later.
Defensive lineman Brodric Martin’s 21-day practice window was activated last week. He suffered a knee injury in the Lions’ preseason finale against the Steelers. He practiced fully Wednesday and Thursday and could be nearing a return.
The Lions will also get defensive end Josh Paschal back. According to the Detroit Free Press, Paschal missed the past two games after having a small mass removed from his shoulder.
Paschal had a malignant melanoma removed from his foot in 2018 while playing for the University of Kentucky. The mass was found at some point this fall during his annual cancer checkup.
He practiced fully on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to play.
The question will be whether Paschal will have Smith alongside him on the defensive line. Smith did not practice Wednesday or Thursday since being acquired on Monday.
Smith was traded on Cleveland’s bye week. According to The Athletic, coach Dan Campbell wanted to give the 32-year-old Smith his chance to rest.
“He’ll return to the building on Friday and the Lions will assess his status from there,” The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy reported. “It’s possible he’s limited if he plays on Sunday. Or maybe the Lions give him Sunday off entirely to prepare for the stretch run and get his body right.”
Two players are trending the wrong way: Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Malcolm Rodriguez. Reeves-Maybin suffered a neck injury in Sunday’s 24-14 win over Green Bay and has yet to practice this week. Rodriguez has been out since suffering an ankle injury in Week 8 against Tennessee. He has yet to practice but is expected back soon. Team officials kept him on the active roster because they did not expect him to miss at least four weeks with the injury.
Left tackle Taylor Decker was added to the injury report this week with a shoulder issue. He was listed as a limited participant for Thursday.
Sione Vaki (knee) and Mekhi Wingo (ankle) were also listed on the practice report as full participants.
The Lions (7-1) will head to Houston for a Sunday night showdown against the Texans (6-3). Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. The game will be televised on WOOD TV8.
