Lions sign DT Christian Ringo from the practice squad

Just under 24 hours after the Detroit Lions made a puzzling move by cutting Khyri Thornton two days before the team’s big Thanksgiving Day game, the team finally announced a corresponding move. The Lions have signed defensive tackle Christian Ringo from their practice squad, making him eligible to play on Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Ringo has been on the team’s practice squad for over two months now. Detroit swiped him up after the Bengals waived him back after Week 1 of the regular season.

Prior to his brief time with the Bengals, Ringo was the Packers’ sixth-round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Ringo spent his entire rookie year on the practice squad in Green Bay, despite other team’s attempts to poach him.

In 2016, he finally got his shot with the Packers. After a two-sack performance in the preseason, Ringo made the Packers’ initial 53-man roster. In total, Ringo made eight game appearances last season, but only notched two total tackles in 76 total defensive snaps.

Having been with the Lions for a couple months now, it’s realistic to expect Ringo to get significant playing time on Thursday. The man he replaces, Khyri Thornton, played 10 snaps against the Bears.

Detroit’s defensive line needed a shakeup after allowing over 200 rushing yards in back-to-back weeks. We’ll see on Thursday if Ringo’s addition gives Detroit’s defense the shot in the arm it so desperately needs.