ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions have filled one of their two roster vacancies by promoting offensive lineman Will Holden from the practice squad. They still have one more open spot heading into Thursday’s practice, and a date with the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.
It’s unusual to get this deep into a game week without filling all 53 roster spots, a sign Detroit could be planning to promote from within. That could happen at cornerback, where the Lions have lost starter Jeff Okudah for the season.
Rookie Ifeati Melifonwu is expected to replace Okudah in the starting lineup alongside Amani Oruwariye, while another rookie, A.J. Parker, continues to man the slot. That’s a lot of inexperience in the starting lineup and not much depth behind them, where there are two more undrafted players in rookie Jerry Jacobs and Bobby Price. That could prompt the Lions to use the open roster spot on another cornerback.
Nickell Robey-Coleman is one candidate, after spending most of training camp in Allen Park. Daryl Worley is another, after signing with the practice squad this week.
“We’re in a holding pattern and see where we might need a spot,” head coach Dan Campbell said. “We’re not in any hurry to do anything. We signed Daryl Worley to our practice squad. All things are on the table right now. So, there’s a chance he can go to the game. But, there again, he just walked in the door. So I’m not going to say that he is until we really get a good look at him and let him kind of process what we do defensively.”
So for now, Holden is the only new addition to the roster. A fifth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, the offensive tackle later spent part of the 2018 season with Campbell in New Orleans. He provides more depth following the Taylor Decker injury, which has forced Penei Sewell to move to left tackle and Matt Nelson to right tackle. Holden is expected to be the swing tackle off the bench in Green Bay.
