Detroit — The Detroit Lions added three defensive backs to the team’s game-day roster mix hours ahead of Monday night’s kickoff with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers.
Down four starters and a key backup in the defensive backfield, the Lions signed veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet off the practice squad and temporarily elevated cornerback Tre Flowers and safety Loren Strickland for much-needed depth.
Detroit’s secondary has been ravaged by injuries in the first half of the season. Starter DJ Reed is on injured reserve with a hamstring strain, while Terrion Arnold (shoulder), Kerby Joseph (knee) are Avonte Maddox (hamstring) are all battling issues that had them ruled out over the weekend. Also sidelined for the contest is safety Brian Branch, who is serving a one-game suspension for his postgame altercation in Kansas City a week ago.
Maulet, 32, began his NFL career in 2017 as an undrafted rookie in New Orleans, where he overlaped with Lions head coach Dan Campbell and former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Maulet has appeared in 86 games and logged more than 2,000 defensive snaps for the Saints, Colts, Jets, Steelers and Ravens. He debuted for the Lions against the Chiefs last week as a practice squad elevation, seeing 13 snaps at slot corner.
Flowers, who signed with the practice squad three weeks ago, is being elevated a second time this month. The 44-game game starter played sparingly in the second half of Detroit’s Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Strickland, meanwhile, signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Ball State a year ago, making the 53-man roster out of training camp as a rookie. He’s appeared in eight games the past two seasons, exclusively playing on special teams.
In addition to the backfield reinforcements, the Lions also activated defensive tackle Alim McNeill off injured reserve, as expected. It will be his first action since tearing his ACL last December.
To clear the one roster spot needed for the additions of McNeill and Maulet, the Lions released linebacker Ty Summers.
I take it the lack of OL elevations suggests Decker is likely to start tonight
Gonna need a lot of pressure from the front 4 tonight to speed Baker up!