The Detroit Lions made a series of roster moves on Tuesday, confirming an earlier report of starting nickel corner Justin Coleman being placed on injured reserve and swapping out defensive ends on the practice squad.
Coleman injured his hamstring during the Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, and appears to be on an extended healing path as his stint on IR will keep him out for at least the next three weeks. That would put him on track to potentially return in Week 5, but with the Lions being on a bye that week, he won’t see playing time until Week 6 at the earliest.
The Lions did not make a corresponding move on the active roster, so at the time of this publishing, the Lions only have 52 spots on their 53 man roster filled. Expect that move to be announced in the next 24 hours.
On the practice squad, the Lions released defensive end Jonathan Wynn and signed defensive end/pass-rushing outside linebacker Kareem Martin.
Martin (6-6, 262) was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round (pick 84 overall) of the 2014 draft, and after his rookie contract expired he joined the New York Giants on a 3-year deal. After missing a majority of 2019 on injured reserve with a knee injury, the Giants released him this past offseason in a cap saving move.
Martin has failed to live up to his draft status. He played as a pass-rushing outside linebacker in both stops in the NFL, but he is too stiff to play the JACK linebacker in the Lions scheme. Expect him to follow the path of another former-Giant, Romeo Okwara, during his time in Detroit, shifting between the DDE, 5T, and 3T.