The Detroit Lions have activated Alex Anzalone and Kalif Raymond from injured reserve, adding them back to the 53-man roster.
The Lions made the move official, removing Anzalone and Raymond from IR and reintroducing them to the active roster. Earlier in the week, the team released Morice Norris and Tom Kennedy, which created two open spots on the roster, so no other moves were needed.
Anzalone, who broke his forearm in Week 11 while tackling during a game against the Jaguars, had been on injured reserve for the past six weeks. This week, his injury evaluation window was opened, and he began practicing again. Though the Lions had 21 days to assess his recovery, they activated him after only three practices. Since it’s a bone injury rather than a soft tissue or ligament issue, the shorter evaluation period was not out of the ordinary.
During practices, Anzalone has been wearing a removable brace on his forearm and will likely continue to use it for added protection once he is ready to play.
While Anzalone has been added back to the 53-man roster, it appears he’s still deliberating whether to play in Week 18 against the Vikings. “Obviously, the doctors and the trainers, they go through what the risks are: waiting a week, waiting two weeks, going through practice, maybe letting it spin next week or the week after that or this week,” Anzalone explained. “So I think that for me personally, I think it’s like, ‘Okay, say if something did happen, would I be okay not playing in the Super Bowl?’ So I think that’s kind of the decision I have to make in my own head, and is it worth it?”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell added that Anzalone is in the process of regaining trust in his body, a process that takes time to ensure he’s fully ready. “The only way to trust it is to do it,” Campbell said. “You’ve got to use it and do it and bang away in there, and you’ve just got to rep it. You’ve got to rep it a little bit, get comfortable. Like, ‘Man, that was a pretty violent hit and I didn’t feel anything.’ Or, ‘Oh, that wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.’ And that becomes a mental thing. Listen, if he’s going to play, it’s because we know he’s going to be able to go full-tilt and he’s going to be able to help us and he’s going to be able to protect himself, play at a high level, and we can trust that and we’re not putting him in harm’s way. And if we don’t feel that way, we’re not going to play him, it’s not worth it.”
It seems the Lions are keeping his game status under wraps, meaning we might not know until the inactives are announced on Sunday night.
Raymond, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Colts (one week after Anzalone’s injury), spent four weeks on IR before beginning his injury evaluation window. After completing six full practices during this window, Raymond’s activation was expected, especially after the Lions released Tom Kennedy, who had been filling in for him.
Raymond will immediately resume his role as both the punt and kick returner and is likely to return to the WR4 position on offense. Though it may take some time for him to fully acclimate, it’s worth noting that three of his 16 catches and one of his two receiving touchdowns came in Week 7, when the Lions first faced the Vikings.
