As confirmed by our Jeremy Reisman on the ground at training camp in Allen Park, the defense got back one of its most experienced pass rushers. Cornelius Washington was placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list last Thursday, but dressed today and participated in on-field activities:
Cornelius Washington is off the NFI list and is practicing today.
— Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) August 3, 2018
With Ziggy still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) shelf and no news about when he will come off to start regular practice, getting a veteran like Washington back into the mix alongside all the younger players Bo Davis and Paul Pasqualoni need to evaluate is helpful. Note that since CornWash is coming off Active/NFI and not Reserve/NFI, no compensating roster move needed to be made for him to join practice right away.
The Lions also announced today that WR Deontez Alexander was waived/injured, and free agent WR Dom Williams was signed to fill the roster spot. Originally signed with the crop of new players brought in for rookie minicamp, Alexander is a phenomenally athletic small-school player. The waived/injured designation suggests the team is still interested in Alexander despite the injury because it is not the same as a straight release: if he clears waivers, he will automatically move to Detroit’s injured reserve list.