The Detroit Lions made a series of roster moves on Wednesday, including placing defensive tackle Danny Shelton and cornerback Desmond Trufant on injured reserve.
That transaction opened up two spots on the active roster and in a corresponding move, the Lions activated rookie tight end Hunter Bryant from injured reserve and signed defensive tackle Kevin Strong off of the practice squad.
Strong was just re-signed to the practice squad yesterday, but after spending the majority of the last 18 months on the roster, he is very familiar with the Lions defensive scheme and should be an immediate contributor.
While switching out Shelton for Strong seems like a one-to-one swap, they play at different spots on the defensive line, with Shelton splitting time between the nose and 3T, while Strong is a 3T, with range to play at defensive end in big sets.
Instead, expect sixth-round rookie nose tackle John Penisini to be injected into the starting lineup.
Bryant was a favorite target of Matthew Stafford in training camp and that relationship, along with above-average athleticism, will give him a shot to contribute right away, if healthy.
Bryant’s health is still a bit in question, as he has not seen the field this season, and this promotion could have come, not because he was healthy, but because his 21-day evaluation window was coming to a close. Meaning if the Lions wanted to play him at some point this season, he needed to be placed on the active roster this week.
Like Bryant, Julian Okwara and Darryl Roberts have completed their stints on injured reserve. While Bryant began practicing three weeks ago, Okwara and Roberts are just beginning to practice today which will start the clock on their 21-day evaluation period.
One final housekeeping note, the promotion of Strong to the active roster opened up a spot on the practice squad and that was filled by cornerback Alex Meyers. Undrafted in 2019, Meyers spent his rookie season on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad before being released earlier this year.