The Detroit Lions announced that they have placed offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai on injured reserve and added wide receiver Mohamad Sanu to the 53-man roster in a corresponding move.
Vaitai has been dealing with a foot injury for the better part of the month and was pulled from last week’s game just before halftime. The Lions did not list him as being injured during the game, but coach Matt Patricia did acknowledge that Vaitai was “pushing through some things that have restricted him a little bit.”
Foot injuries can be tricky for NFL players and even the simplest of injuries can negatively impact a player’s performance. Unfortunately, the only way to fully heal is to rest the foot until it’s better — which is the direction the Lions have taken here.
Vaitai will be eligible to return after Week 14, as long as he is healed and capable of returning to the active roster. In the interim, Oday Aboushi and Joe Dahl will battle it out for the starting job at right guard.
Sanu signed with the Lions three weeks ago and they have thought enough of him to protect him each of those weeks. Last week, Sanu was elevated to the roster and played 15 snaps with zero stats earned.
The Lions now have seven wide receivers on the active roster, but with the rate that this position group has been injured this season, this isn’t an overly surprising move — especially with Kenny Golladay still unable to play.