Detroit Lions sign RB Devine Ozigbo to roster, elevate OL from practice squad

The Detroit Lions announced their final roster moves in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Detroit has signed running back Devine Ozigbo from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and given offensive lineman Michael Niese a temporary elevation from the practice squad.

Ozigbo will fill in Monday night as the team’s third-string running back behind rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and veteran Craig Reynolds. With David Montgomery sidelined for another week and Mohamed Ibrahim suffering a long-term hip injury that required surgery, Ozigbo has a good opportunity to make an impression here on special teams. He has already made game appearances in each of the past two weeks as a practice squad elevation—playing on a total of 21 special teams snaps—but now he’s made his way onto the 53-man roster.

As for Niese, he provides some much-needed depth on the interior offensive line. With center Frank Ragnow doubtful to play on Monday, along with left guard Jonah Jackson already declared out, and right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai questionable with a new back injury, Niese is capable of backing up all three positions. If Ragnow doesn’t play and Graham Glasgow covers him at center, it’s quite possible Niese would enter Monday as the team’s backup center, while also providing support at both guard positions. As of right now, the following interior offensive linemen are healthy for Detroit: Glasgow, Niese, Kayode Awosika, Colby Sorsdal, and Dan Skipper (capable of playing OT or G).

“We’ve got Yode, we’ve got Sorsdal, we’ve got Skip, we’ve got all kinds of options,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Saturday.

Niese is a second-year player who was signed to Detroit’s practice squad on the week of roster cuts. He has yet to play in an NFL regular season game, but at Temple he played tackle and both guard positions. In the 2023 preseason with the Buccaneers, he played every interior position. It’s worth noting he has some overlap in Denver with Glasgow, spending 2022 training camp with the Broncos.