Detroit Lions Release Tony Ugoh, Put Mikel Leshoure On IR

The Detroit Lions announced three moves this afternoon. They released offensive tackle Tony Ugoh, officially put running back Mikel Leshoure on injured reserve and confirmed the signing of cornerback Anthony Madison.

Ugoh's release comes as no surprise after what happened earlier this week. Ugoh was missing from practice on Wednesday, and nobody was really sure why. Jim Schwartz declined to comment, and the only thing we really heard was that Ugoh was considering retirement. His agent did say that Ugoh would be back in a few days, but now that won't be happening with the Lions releasing him.

The move to place Leshoure on IR didn't happen earlier because the Lions would have had to waive him. Teams would have had a chance to claim him before Leshoure went to IR, so the Lions waited until now to do it. (Originally I thought they had to wait until the final round of roster cuts, but apparently it's possible to put him right on IR after the first preseason game.)

The Madison signing was first reported on Saturday by Adam Schefter. Go here for more on that move.