Lions activate Josh Paschal from IR, elevate 2 players from practice squad

The Detroit Lions officially removed Josh Paschal from injured reserve on Saturday, making him eligible to play against the Baltimore Ravens. He told media on Friday that he is feeling 100% after missing the last four games with a knee injury suffered after the season opener.

“I’m thankful for the athletic training staff, the strength staff for making sure that I got back in time and I’m ready to go for the rest of the year,” Paschal said.

The Lions’ second-round pick in 2022, Paschal had a solid Week 1, tallying three tackles—including a key third-down tackle for loss—against the Kansas City Chiefs. While he’ll return to the lineup this week, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said they’ll ease him into the game plan, like the team typically does for players returning from injury.

“You have to get used to the speed of the game, also,” Glenn said. “So, listen, he’ll play. I can’t tell you how much he’ll play, but he’ll play.”

To make room for Paschal, the Lions announced they have released veteran tight end Darrell Daniels. He was signed to the 53-man roster a few weeks ago to serve as both a fullback replacement for Jason Cabinda and the TE3 role for James Mitchell. But with Mitchell trending towards playing this week, Daniels’ roster spot was expendable.

The Lions also announced they’ve used temporary elevations from the practice squad on two running backs: Devine Ozigbo and Mohamed Ibrahim. The Lions are shorthanded at running back this week with David Montgomery expected to miss a few weeks with a rib injury and Craig Reynolds currently questionable with a toe and hamstring injury. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to get the majority of the work, but now Ozigbo and Ibrahim can provide relief if Reynolds can’t go.

One additional note: the Lions chose not to put Montgomery on injured reserve, which means they likely expect the veteran running back to return before the minimum four games he would have had to sit. The Lions’ bye is in two weeks, so it’s possible Montgomery could be back for the Chargers game out of the bye.

Transaction recap:

• EDGE Josh Paschal ACTIVATED from IR
• TE Darrell Daniels RELEASED
• RB Devine Ozigbo, RB Mohamed Ibrahim temporarily elevated from practice squad