The Detroit Lions have moved cornerback D.J. Reed to injured reserve and made several roster transactions in response.
On Wednesday, Detroit announced another batch of roster adjustments, prompted by injuries and recent signings. Here’s the complete rundown of changes:
Placed CB D.J. Reed on IR
Promoted LB Ty Summers from practice squad to 53-man roster
Promoted DB Loren Strickland from practice squad to 53-man roster
Signed CB Nick Whiteside to practice squad
Signed CB Tre Flowers to practice squad
Most notably, starting corner D.J. Reed lands on injured reserve after injuring his hamstring Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. That guarantees he’ll miss at least four weeks, making Week 10 versus the Washington Commanders his earliest possible return. Earlier this week, coach Dan Campbell stressed the setback wasn’t season-ending, but they debated placing him on IR.
“Could be. It’ll be close, I think. Could be in that range,” Campbell said.
Replacing Reed on the 53-man roster (along with Daniel Thomas’ vacated spot last week) are Loren Strickland and Ty Summers.
Strickland joined the Lions after going undrafted in 2024. He appeared in seven games as a rookie, logging only special teams work (78 snaps). He’ll likely serve in the same capacity again, with Thomas out and Rock Ya-Sin plus Avonte Maddox expected to shoulder defensive duties as Detroit compensates for Reed’s absence.
Summers’ promotion came quickly, considering he only re-signed to the practice squad Tuesday. The linebacker logged nearly 300 special teams snaps for the Giants in 2023 after a stint in Lions camp. With veteran Zach Cunningham sidelined by a hamstring injury, Summers supplies immediate depth with proven special teams value and prior system experience.
Whiteside returns after missing the 53-man roster this preseason. Detroit first added him after training camp injuries at cornerback, and he impressed early in August. He’ll bolster the Lions’ depth following Reed’s setback. So will Tre Flowers, whose signing surfaced late Tuesday evening.
Detroit now has its 53-man active roster filled and its 16-player practice squad also at maximum capacity.
