The Detroit Lions have been extremely busy with their roster reshuffling since their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Lions worked out five players, signing two, in addition to making a series of other roster transactions.
The Lions signed Jabari Small (running back), Giovanni Ricci (tight end), and Andrew Armstrong (wide receiver) as they deal with injuries at the aforementioned positions.
Small spent part of training camp with Detroit and replaces Craig Reynolds, who was released and signed to the New England Patriots. Ricci joins the Lions for his 5th NFL team, with the team dealing with an injury to now starting tight end Brock Wright. Wright is currently dealing with a neck/trachea injury that could be a long-term issue, per head coach Dan Campbell.
The Lions also added rookie wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, who will serve as an insurance policy if extra depth is needed due to Amon-Ra St. Brown's injury.
Roster moves and injury updates ahead of Week 14 vs. Cowboys
The Lions released Tre Flowers and Netane Muti from the practice squad amid the recent string of player injuries. Muti, an offensive lineman, was signed earlier in November due to a recent rash of injuries on the offensive line. Flowers joined the Lions on October 1st, adding depth to their defensive secondary. Flowers appeared in two games for the Lions, recording no statistics.
Terrion Arnold is going on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury. Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, he'll miss the rest the season as he is getting ready to have surgery to repair that shoulder issue. This has been an injury Arnold's been managing since Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Tight End Shane Zylstra has been designated to return from injured reserve, opening his 21-day window. He'll have the next three weeks to get healthy and hopefully return to the Lions, which could provide some much-needed reinforcements.
The Lions have placed Frank Ragnow on the retired list after he failed his physical, effectively ending his comeback tour.
The Lions, who have dealt with the injury bug the last several seasons, will have to continue to manipulate and manage the roster for the final stretch of the season. The Lions are careening into Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys, who are fresh off their win against the Kansas City Chiefs.