The Detroit Lions have altered the game statuses of Mekhi Wingo and Sione Vaki, downgrading them to OUT for this Sunday’s game against the Packers.
The Detroit Lions have adjusted the game statuses of rookies Mekhi Wingo and Sione Vaki in Week 9, downgrading them from doubtful to OUT and the pair will not travel to Green Bay with the team.
Wingo appeared to have injured his ankle during Thursday’s practice and while he was working with trainers on Friday, he will not play on Sunday, as is common with most mid-week injuries. Wingo has seen his snaps count rise of late, as the Lions deal with injuries along their defensive line, and has been seeing opportunities both on the inside and at the 5-technique on the edge.
As a result of Wingo being unavailable, and Levi Onwuzurike getting more snaps on the edge, the Lions signed interior defensive lineman Chris Smith to the active roster for depth. While Smith is more of an interior presence, it’s worth noting that Pat O’Connor has a similar range to Wingo and could see his responsibilities expand.
Vaki’s week has been a bit of a roller coaster of participation levels. After not practicing on Wednesday due to a knee injury, he was practicing in full on Thursday, only to be unavailable yet again on Friday.
While Vaki hasn’t seen many running back snaps of late, he has played a large role on special teams and was the Lions’ second highest-graded special teams player last week—behind only Kalif Raymond—according to PFF. Vaki is a four-phase special teamer, and his contributions will be tough to replace, but the Lions could turn to UDFA rookie Loren Strickland, who is typically a healthy scratch on game days. Strickland is a solid special team contributor and should be able to assume Vaki’s roles on special teams.