Lions let Da’Shawn Hand go with injury settlement

Amid a second stint on IR this season, the Lions have released defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand with an injury settlement.

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand started this season on IR with a groin injury, then  he landed on IR again after injuring his groin in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns. So his season for the Lions was over. But on Tuesday, the team released him off IR with an injury settlement.

Hand ultimately played in three games for the Lions this season, registering two tackles and a batted down pass over 88 total snaps (68 in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers alone). If he’ll actually be healthy in a few weeks, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported, a contending team could consider adding him for interior defensive line depth.

Injuries quickly became the story of Da’Shawn Hand’s Lions career

Hand was taken by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of Alabama. He played in 13 games as a rookie, starting eight, with three sacks, nine quarterback pressures and 27 total tackles (four tackles for loss). But he played just three games in 2019, followed by 10 games played in 2020 and then just three again this season. He was never able to build on a promising rookie season.

Hand was also in the final year of his contract this year, so the Lions’ decision to move now comes with that layer if they had no real plans to re-sign him. On the idea he can get healthy before the season is over, and possibly honoring his request to be let go with that in mind, they’ve given him a chance to land elsewhere–and probably with a playoff team if there’s any market for him.