Joique Bell remains out as Lions minicamp begins

The Detroit Lions began their mandatory minicamp with an afternoon practice on Tuesday. Several players did not take part in the practice, including running back Joique Bell, defensive end Ziggy Ansah and cornerback Chris Houston, who all missed the Lions' OTAs as well. Via Kyle Meinke, here's the full rundown from Tuesday's practice:

Sidelined from practice

RB Joique Bell
WR Golden Tate
DE Ziggy Ansah

Absent from practice

WR TJ Jones
CB Chris Houston

Bell is still dealing with a knee injury, and his main goal at this point is simply to be ready for training camp, so the Lions are keeping him out for precautionary reasons. The same likely goes for Golden Tate and Ansah, who are both recovering from shoulder injuries.

As for the two players completely absent from practice, both were excused. We know that Houston is still recovering from toe surgery, but the exact reason behind Jones' absence is currently unknown. He took part in the Lions' OTAs, so unless he got hurt over the weekend, his absence was likely not related to an injury.