On Saturday, before heading to the West Coast for a Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions announced they had downgraded two players to out: safety Thomas Harper (concussion) and Christian Mahogany (fibula).
With Brian Branch likely to go on injured reserve later Saturday (trades are typically announced at 4 p.m. ET) and Kobe Joseph already ruled out, the Lions are hoping Harper will be available to join Anthony Maddox against the Rams. Unfortunately, despite having three days of practice last week, Harper appears unable to pass the NFL’s concussion protocol. Returning to practice is a key component of the NFL’s protocols moving forward. However, players in the agreement are still required to pass a physical, and it can be assumed Harper has not passed an independent physical.
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With the Lions’ top three safeties out, there’s no clear front-runner to start with Maddox on Sunday. Veteran Daniel Thomas looks like he could be next in line, but he’s primarily a special teams player and may not be the first option. The Lions also claimed Jalen Mills off waivers this week, but with just a few days of practice, it seems unlikely he’ll be ready for a starting role.
The most likely candidate to challenge Thomas for the starting job is Eric Hallett. While currently on the practice squad, Hallett could be a candidate for a roster upgrade as he has started one game for the Lions this season (Week 7 vs. the Buccaneers). He was also the first name Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned this week when discussing safety options.
“We’re going to do good. Look, Hallett has been taking reps, (Thomas) DT has been taking reps, Maddox has been taking reps. We’ve got a lot of guys. They’re getting valuable reps, so we’re good,” Campbell said Friday.
Mahogany began his injury evaluation clock this week, and while the Lions initially left the door open for him to return to the active lineup for this game, he wasn’t quite ready and was downgraded to out, leaving him on injured reserve. With two weeks left in the evaluation window, Mahogany still has plenty of time to recover. That being said, he appears to be on the verge of returning for this game, which means there’s a good chance he’ll return in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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The Lions will have Kayode Awosika starting at left guard this week. However, if his foot injury keeps him out of that role, the Lions could return veteran Tristan Colon, who started at left guard last week. We could also see rookie Myles Frazier get some pre-scheduled reps regardless of who starts, as coaches look to get him more experience.