Detroit Lions place G T.J. Lang on injured reserve

The Detroit Lions announced on Wednesday that starting right guard T.J. Lang has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a neck injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.

Lang played in just six games this season, but dealt with a concussion, back and hip injury in this year alone. Last year, Lang dealt with a separate concussion, a back and a foot injury that caused him to collectively miss three games.

It’s been a rough go for Lang, who signed a three-year, $28.5 million deal with Detroit after the Lions aggressively pursued him in the 2017 offseason. While his play has been at a level the Lions expected, the injuries have made him a tough guy to rely upon.

Going forward, you have to wonder if Lang may have played his final game as a Detroit Lions. His cap hit next year is $11.7 million and only $2.7 of that is dead money. That means Detroit would save $9 million by cutting Lang. Of course, Lang could always take a paycut, or, considering the laundry list of injuries, retirement could be in the cards for the 31-year-old offensive lineman.

To take Lang’s spot on the roster, the Lions have promoted cornerback Mike Ford from the practice squad. After cutting Lenzy Pipkins’ earlier in the week, the Lions still have one more roster spot open.

Detroit also announced on Wednesday that safety David Jones will take Ford’s spot on the practice squad. Jones spent the entire 2017 season on the Patriots’ practice squad as an undrafted rookie.