ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions made a handful of roster moves, including adding someone who spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, the team’s next opponent.
Detroit added receiver/quarterback Malik Cunningham and tight end Ross Dwelley to its practice squad. They released linebacker Monty Rice from the practice squad and placed tight end Shane Zylstra on injured reserve.
The Lions also signed interior offensive lineman Trystan Colon from their practice squad, adding more veteran depth to the trenches.
Cunningham’s addition is an interesting one because he previously spent time with the Ravens when he transitioned from quarterback to receiver. He will likely serve in the Lamar Jackson role for practice this week ahead of Detroit’s trip to Baltimore for Monday Night Football.
Cunningham was a quarterback during his college days at Louisville and during his first stint in the NFL with the New England Patriots. The 26-year-old was a four-year starting quarterback at Louisville, where he posted 70 passing touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He added 3,179 yards and 50 scores on the ground, and should be able to give the Lions some dual-threat looks in practice while preparing for Jackson and the Ravens.
The Lions also hosted Cunningham for a tryout less than two weeks ago. They had since added C.J. Beathard to the practice squad to serve as the emergency third quarterback. Beathard had a tryout with the Lions the same day Cunningham did, ahead of the start of the regular season.
Last week, the Lions had backup quarterback Kyle Allen operating as their Caleb Williams in practice ahead of facing the Bears.
“Well, I’m not saying that,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said when asked if Allen brought those needed dual-threat looks last week.
“But I’m saying it’s as close of a look as we can get where we’re at right now.”
Zylstra suffered an ankle injury during the first half of last week’s blowout win over the Chicago Bears. He will be required to miss at least the next four games. Dwelley, 30, spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons after rolling with the San Francisco 49ers for the first six seasons of his career.
Colon’s addition to the main roster makes a lot of sense, too. He signed with the Lions shortly after center Frank Ragnow retired and brought 11 starts over the last two seasons under his belt. He suffered an elbow injury in training camp, which delayed his chances of making the 53-man roster.
The 27-year-old boosts the depth on the interior offensive line with experience at center and guard. Detroit used veteran guard Kayode Awosika as its extra blocker last week, with tackle Giovanni Manu and center Kingsley Eguakun on the bench.
Another aspect to take from today’s moves is that the Lions did not do anything with Marcus Davenport. The edge defender suffered ankle and shoulder injuries in last week’s victory. Campbell said the Lions were waiting on another medical opinion when addressing reporters on Monday.
“I’m hoping it won’t be too bad, but until we get a couple of these second opinions back, I won’t know for sure,” Campbell said of Davenport.
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