The Detroit Lions have announced several roster moves ahead of Sunday’s Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers.
These are the following moves the Lions have made:
- Released tight end Parker Hesse
- Signed linebacker Abraham Beauplan and defensive lineman Chris Smith to the active roster
- Elevated tight end Shane Zylstra and outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad to the active/inactive list
Beauplan’s signing may hint that Malcolm Rodriguez’s injury is worse than initially expected. Rodriguez will miss the Lions’ trip to Green Bay after picking up an ankle injury last week.
Smith’s signing makes logical sense, considering the Lions’ defensive line room resembles a battlefield with how many players are down.
Muhammad led the Detroit Lions in pressures last Sunday. The former Indianapolis Colt played a solid game that did not go unnoticed by the Detroit Lions’ hierarchy:
“He was active, he played aggressive, he was physical. And so, he went in there and really gave us a good day’s work, which is exactly what we talked about. Now, there were a couple of things we’ve got to clean up mentally with him.
“And like you brought up, some of the rush, there were about three of them in there where, we get a little bit better, maybe, out of a couple of things he does, then it may help around the perimeter with (Alim McNeill) Mac and some of those other things. So, those are just little things to clean up, but man, I thought he came in and gave us a good day’s work, and it’s certainly something to build off of.”
Before last week, Muhammad last played in 2022. With a game’s experience under his belt, the Lions will hope he is ready to take another step forward.
However, even though the Lions are confident in the players at the bottom of their roster, they must make a trade before Tuesday’s deadline.
Various NFL insiders have confirmed that the Lions are investigating players and trying to negotiate deals. But the pressure to make a deal will rise as the injuries mount.