It has already been a tough week for the Detroit Lions. After losing to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Lions weren’t able to swing a big deal at Tuesday’s trade deadline. Even the early stages of Wednesday were not kind to Detroit when Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu won his appeal of a one-game suspension ahead of Sunday’s Week 10 matchup.
With that in mind, it was easy to think that things weren’t going the Lions' way until they showed up to Wednesday’s practice. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Lions have opened the practice window for edge rusher Josh Paschal, and Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News added that offensive lineman Miles Frazier has also had his practice window opened as he looks to return from IR.
While Bianchi added that several key players were absent from Wednesday’s practice, including offensive tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, offensive guard Christian Mahogany, and safety Kerby Joseph, the return of Paschal and Frazier should be able to give the Lions a boost and a bit of good fortune on the day after the deadline.
Lions Make Post-Deadline Moves By Opening Practice Window for Josh Paschal, Miles Frazier
The Lions have been waiting a while for Paschal and Frazier to return to the lineup. Paschal’s return is a key one as the former second-round pick has been sidelined with a back injury that had him placed on the non-football injury list for the first half of the season.
Detroit’s edge rushing group has been a question behind Aidan Hutchinson and breakout pass-rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad, and with Marcus Davenport still sidelined with a pectoral muscle strain, Paschal could see a large role when he returns to the field.
Frazier has been out even longer after suffering a knee injury during the spring program. A fifth-round pick out of LSU, Frazier will add depth to the offensive line, which has been tested after Mahogany left Sunday’s loss with a knee injury. It also comes at a time when the Lions were exposed in the middle of the line, allowing Jared Goff to be pressured on 42.9% of his dropbacks against the Vikings, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Lions now have 21 days to promote Paschal and Frazier to the active roster. While both players are unlikely to be available for Sunday’s game against the Commanders, it could have been a reason why they didn’t pull the trigger on a big move ahead of the deadline.
With D.J. Reed and Malcolm Rodriguez also expected to be activated soon, the Lions are getting at the right time, which could have been better news than any move they could have made on Tuesday.