Even though the regular season ends in just four days, the Detroit Lions are leaving open the possibility for more reinforcements to come back to the team. On Wednesday, the Lions welcomed rookie cornerback Chase Lucas back to practice.
Lucas had his status shifted to designated to return from injured reserve, which allows the rookie from Arizona State to work with the team. The Lions have 21 days to either activate Lucas or place him on season-ending injured reserve. Lucas was initially placed on I.R. on December 10th with a hamstring injury.
The Lions are still very much alive in the NFC postseason race, so designating Lucas for return is a nod to allow him to keep practicing with the team and gain more experience if Detroit does make the playoffs. Lucas played just six snaps on defense in three games, though he was a special teams stalwart in six full games.
