The Lions placed linebacker Alex Lewis on the injured reserve earlier this week, ending his season. Lewis suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Buccaneers when he attempted to tackle Cadillac Williams. Though the injury didn't look good, Lewis hoped to come back for the final games of the season. Instead he is headed to the IR.
To fill the void at linebacker, the Lions signed Darnell Bing from the practice squad. Bing is in his third season out of USC, where he played safety. The Oakland Raiders drafted him and converted him to linebacker, although they switched him back to safety prior to the 2007 season. Bing went on the IR himself before the 2006 season due to a neck injury and was released by the Raiders in July of 2007. After his release, he went on to play for the 49ers and Jets before coming to Detroit this past August.
In another roster move, the Lions signed defensive end Rudolph Hardie to the practice squad. Hardie was with the team up until the final round of roster cuts this past summer. After the Lions cut him, he was on the practice roster of the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders for two days. Following that short stint, he was signed to the Packers' practice squad before being released twelve days later.