Detroit Lions place Ezekiel Ansah, Michael Roberts on IR

We may have witnessed the last time Ezekiel Ansah has played for the Detroit Lions. On Tuesday, the team announced that Ansah has been placed on injured reserve, ending his 2018 season.

Ansah was given the franchise tag this season worth $17.1 million this season. At that cost, the Lions only got two starts out of the former Pro Bowl defensive end and seven games played. In those games, Ansah tallied just 12 tackles and 4.0 sacks.

Over the course of the past three seasons, Ansah has now missed 14 games and been hindered by injuries countless times throughout his career. Though he has 16 sacks in his past 21 games played.

Now heading into 2019, Ansah is due to become an unrestricted free agent. Considering his long injury history, and the potential of a shoulder surgery upcoming, it’s hard to imagine Ansah will be given a huge contract, despite his clear talent. Detroit will absolutely need a pass rusher of his caliber next season, but it’s hard to see them investing again in a player that just can’t seem to stay healthy.

In addition to Ansah, the Lions are placing Michael Roberts on IR. He, too, has been dealing with a shoulder injury over the past few weeks. Roberts only had nine catches for 100 yards this year, but he did score three touchdowns in eight games. It’s still a very underwhelming season for the Lions’ second-year tight end, as Detroit couldn’t seem to get any production out of any tight end this year.

To take the place of Ansah and Roberts, the Lions promoted offensive lineman Leo Koloamatangi and tight end Jerome Cunningham from the practice squad.