Detroit Lions’ rookie tight end Hunter Bryant has been bitten by the injury bug at the beginning of his NFL career. After just a week of training camp, Bryant injured his hamstring and it was significant enough to keep him out through the Lions bye in Week 5. Ready to return to action post-bye, Bryant then suffered a concussion, which landed him on injured reserve.
Today, Bryant is healthy enough to begin partaking in football activities again, and he will participate in Wednesday’s practice. This will start a 21-day evaluation period where the Lions will use practices to determine if he is healthy enough to return to the active roster.
Bryant is eligible to return to the active roster at any time during the evaluation period, and for the time being, he will remain on injured reserve. If he is activated, the Lions would have to make a corresponding move to make space for him on the 53-man roster.
If the Lions determine he is not healthy enough to return to the active roster, they can either put him on season-ending injured reserve or release him from his contract.
Considering how long the Lions have kept him on the active roster, despite not playing an NFL down, it’s a safe assumption that the team will do their best to get him on the field as soon as possible.