Lions sign OL Darius Johnson, waive OT Tyrus Thompson

Sunday afternoon the Detroit Lions announced they made a minor transaction regarding their offensive line. Offensive tackle Tyrus Thompson was waived, while Detroit added offensive lineman Darius Johnson to their 90-man roster.

Johnson was one of the few undrafted free agents invited to rookie minicamp. He hails from Middle Tennessee State, where he started all 37 games at offensive tackle his first three years before moving to guard in an injury-filled senior season. He earned second team all-conference for Conference USA in 2014, and was presumed to be a late-round draft pick entering his senior. However, after entering 2015 with a stress fracture in his leg, Johnson ended up missing six games before falling out of the draft in 2016.

Thompson was waived after spending a short six months on the team. Thompson was a sixth-round draft pick for the Vikings in 2015, but bounced around the Jaguars and Lions practice squads after Minnesota released him early in the season.