The Detroit Lions have taken a lot of injury hit this season, and another came on Sunday with linebacker Alex Anzalone set to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken left forearm. Three players are nearing the end of their 21-day return window to come off IR, including safety Ifeatu Melifonwu.
On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell had an update on Melifonwu after being asked about his versatility perhaps helping fill the void left by Anzalone.
"This is going to come up anyway. He just, he had something come up, and he's not going to be, he won't be ready for a while. He's not going to be ready for a while", Campbell said.
Melifonwu has yet to play this season. He suffered an ankle injury in training camp, with one report calling it an Achilles' issue. For some reason the Lions waited to put him on IR until the end of September, which Campbell more or less acknowledged was a mistake.
Melifonwu, and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley had their 21-day activation windows opened on Nov. 6. That timeframe expires next week.
Melifonwu showed up on injury reports heading into Week 11 with a finger issue added to the ankle injury he's been working his way back from.
Ifeatu Melifonwu injury update: Return clock reset?
"A while" is intentionally vague on Campbell's part regarding when Melifonwu might be able to play.
Asked for clarification on Melifonwu, since his 21-day window is winding down, Campbell hinted at the return clock restarting due to the newer injury.
"This is a different injury, so now it falls under a whole 'nother deal. It’s like a reset,” Campbell said.
The exact rules there aren't clear, but a player can be activated from IR twice in a season. So in theory the Lions could activate Melifonwu before this first 21-day window expires, then put him right back on IR and he'd have to miss at least four additional games. Then another 21-day activation window could start, if necessary.
Update: The Lions have indeed activated Melifonwu from IR, in the corresponding move to placing Anxalone on IR.
Melifonwu had a breakout run to finish last season, particularly deployed as a blitzer, but injuries have been a too-common thread now into his fourth season. He has played just 34 games of a possible 61 regular season games now, with 11 starts.
With the new injury, Melifonwu appears to be no closer to suiting up than he was due to the ankle injury entering the season. In the final year of his rookie contract and time running out for him to get back on the field, especially if he ends up on IR a second time, it's possible he has already played his last snap as a Lion.
