D.J. Reed injury update: Detroit Lions make unfortunate decision on starting CB

Mike Moraitis

D.J. Reed injury update: Detroit Lions make unfortunate decision on starting CB image

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions will be without cornerback D.J. Reed for at least the next four games.

The team announced on Wednesday that Reed has been placed on injured reserve, which is unfortunate but not unexpected. In addition to that move, Detroit signed cornerbacks Tre Flowers and Nick Whiteside to the practice squad.

Reed suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns. It initially looked significant after Reed was carted off, but head coach Dan Campbell later revealed that the veteran doesn't have a season-ending issue.

“He’s going to be down for a while, but the good news is it’s not a season-ender. We will get him back, it looks like,” Campbell said.

While not season-ending, it remains unclear when exactly Reed will be back.

Reed wasn't the only cornerback to exit with an injury on Sunday, as second-year defender Terrion Arnold suffered a shoulder injury. However, Arnold was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, which is a good sign for his availability.

As far as replacing Reed goes, Amik Robertson will be the next man up when he isn't operating in the slot. The Lions were looking to get Robertson more work on the boundary and now they'll get their wish, albeit under non-ideal circumstances.

Khalil Dorsey, Rock Ya-Sin and/or Avonte Maddox could get more work as depth options with Reed sidelined.

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Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.