Detroit Lions place Josh Paschal, Khalil Dorsey on IR

Amongst a flurry of roster moves Saturday afternoon, the Detroit Lions announced that defensive lineman Josh Paschal and cornerback Khalil Dorsey are going on injured reserve. That means both players will miss a minimum of four games, with them eligible to return for Week 6’s contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’s a tough break for both players, but especially Paschal. The team’s second-round pick in 2022, Paschal had an encouraging performance last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, tallying three tackles and a critical third-down stop late in the fourth quarter. He had impressed enough that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was actually planning on increasing his role this week.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that he was effective in that manner,” Glenn said on Thursday. “I expect him to continue to grow in the positions that we have him in, so you will see him out there more.”

Unfortunately, Paschal suffered a knee injury sometime later that day. Last year, Paschal missed a pair of games with a knee injury, but it’s unclear if this injury is related—or even to the same leg.

The Lions have a deep bench of defensive line options, including three players who were healthy scratches last week: Romeo Okwara, Isaiah Buggs, and Brodric Martin.

As for Dorsey, it’s certainly a bit odd to see a player dealing with an illness to be placed on injured reserve. Dorsey played on all four phases of special teams, including as the team’s kick returner and gunner. It’s unclear who will take his spot in those roles, but the Lions did sign Chase Lucas to the 53-man roster to take Dorsey’s place.

Detroit does have one open roster spot on their 53-man roster, but it appears they won’t address that until at least next week.