The repercussions from Sunday's injury-filled game are now being felt, because at least two players are out for the season and have been placed on injured reserve. Cornerback Jack Williams and safety Marquand Manuel have already been placed on IR, and it's possible that Stephen Peterman could end up joining them at some point.
Williams was just claimed off waivers by Detroit a week ago and tore his left ACL on his first play with the Lions. The injury is disappointing not only because of how soon it happened, but also because Williams has a lot of potential that will go unseen until 2010. The hope was for Williams to come in and continue to develop as a pro cornerback, but the knee injury will be putting that development on hold.
Manuel hurt his shoulder against the Vikings and is being shut down for the rest of the season as well. It seemed like Manuel had hurt something in every game this season, but up until now, none of his ailments had been serious. That is no longer the case, and the Lions have lost another defensive back because of an injury.
To replace the two open spots on the roster created by the injuries to Williams and Manuel, the Lions signed safety DeAngelo Smith and offensive lineman Melvin Fowler. Smith was a fifth-round pick by the Cowboys this year and was most recently on the Bears' practice squad. Fowler is a veteran that most recently was on the Cardinals. He spent exactly a month in Arizona right before the start of the season and was cut loose on September 4. He actually took Donovan Raiola's spot on Arizona's roster when he was originally signed. Donovan is Dominic Raiola's brother, and at some point Fowler could be lining up next to him in Detroit. (Another odd coincidence is that Donovan Raiola is currently on the Bears' practice squad, which is where the Lions got Smith from. It's definitely a small world.)
Right now there is no specific word on just how serious Stephen Peterman's ankle injury is, but considering he was carted to the locker room after it happened, I wouldn't expect him to be back anytime soon. To steal Jim Schwartz's favorite word when describing injuries, Peterman's ankle problem seems significant. The Lions haven't placed him on IR, but it doesn't look like he will be returning in the immediate future.