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Detroit Lions Sign Joique Bell, Season Over for Pettigrew, Bryant

By Colton Wesley

Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) hands off the football to Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell (35) against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) hands off the football to Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell (35) against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Lions signed running Joique Bell, placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on reserve/NFI and placed defensive end Armonty Bryant on IR on Tuesday.

The Detroit Lions continued a busy Tuesday by signing a familiar face in running back Joique Bell. They also placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on their reserve/non-football injury list and defensive end Armonty Bryant on injured reserve. Detroit signed cornerback Asa Jackson earlier in the day after placing cornerback Quandre Diggs on injured reserve after he suffered a pectoral injury on Sunday.

Joique Bell, a Wayne State product, returns to Detroit where he played in 60 games from 2012-2015 before being released this offseason. Bell had a productive stint in Detroit, including back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 total offensive yards in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, he and Reggie Bush became the first running back tandem in NFL history to each gain 500 rushing and receiving yards in a single season.

After appearing in four games for the Chicago Bears this season, he was released by Chicago on Oct. 24 before re-joining the Lions, whose running back situation is murky, with Zach Zenner the team’s only remaining fully healthy running back. Ameer Abdullah is still on injured reserve after having foot surgery in week two, his potential return still in question, Theo Riddick is playing but has been dealing with an ankle injury and Dwayne Washington left Sunday’s win over New Orleans with an ankle injury with no update on his status. The Lions waived former Pro Bowler Justin Forsett, who had been a healthy scratch for several weeks, last week and he was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos on Monday.

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Tight end Brandon Pettigrew was placed on the Lions’ the reserve/non-football injury (NFI) list on Tuesday. He had been out of action since suffering an ACL tear near the end of last season. The Lions placed him on the PUP list this preseason and he returned to practice last week, but never returned to the 53-man roster.

The fact that Pettigrew was placed on NFI and not injured reserve indicates some other setback not related to the knee, although there have been no reports so far on the nature of the injury. Despite the setback with Pettigrew, the Lions’ tight end situation is as stable as it has been all season, with a healthy Eric Ebron developing into one of Matthew Stafford‘s top pass catchers, Matthew Mulligan taking the role of blocking tight end and Clay Harbor backing up Ebron.

Defensive end Armonty Bryant’s 2016 saga concludes with him being placed on injured reserve after not appearing on the Lions’ injury report last week nor appearing to suffer any injury in Sunday’s win against the New Orleans Saints. He has been designated with a knee injury.

Bryant was signed by the team earlier this season in spite of a 2015 drug arrest and was very productive for the Lions as a pass rusher before being suspended by the league for three games as a result of that drug incident. He returned to action on Sunday against New Orleans. He finishes the season with five tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.

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The Lions will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday at 1:00 on CBS.

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