Lions promote Rodney Austin, release Kellen Davis

With the Detroit Lions dealing with multiple injuries on the offensive line, they were in need of some extra depth going into their Thanksgiving showdown with the Chicago Bears. To solve this problem, the Lions released tight end Kellen Davis in order to promote offensive guard Rodney Austin from the practice squad.

Austin's last stint on the 53-man roster began almost a year ago exactly. The Lions promoted him when another team -- reportedly the Tennessee Titans -- allegedly made a run at signing him. The Lions didn't want to lose him, so he got a promotion to the 53-man roster.

This year, Austin's promotion comes after Riley Reiff suffered an injury on Sunday. Reiff's chances of playing on Thursday seem slim, meaning that the starting tackles this week will be some combination of LaAdrian Waddle, Cornelius Lucas and Garrett Reynolds. With Travis Swanson already being forced into action because of Larry Warford's injury, interior depth on the O-line was quite thin before Austin was promoted.

The move to release Davis comes as no surprise considering the Lions' top three tight ends are now healthy. Davis joined the Lions just before they departed for London last month with injuries mounting at tight end, but with everybody back, he became expendable.

One other roster note: Detroit filled Austin's spot on the practice squad by re-signing linebacker Jerrell Harris.