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Detroit Lions DT Mekhi Wingo played through injury for teammates, now out for season
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- Detroit Lions DT Mekhi Wingo played through injury for teammates, now out for season
Mekhi Wingo gutted his way through 14 defensive snaps in the Detroit Lions ' Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears , playing through what he called "a little" knee injury because "I love the guys I'm playing next to."
"I was definitely in a lot of pain," Wingo told the Free Press after the game. "Coach T (defensive line coach Terrell Williams) was yelling at me, he said, 'If you keep (expletive) limping, I'm going to take you out,' so I was definitely in some pain. I told him, 'I'm fine, I'm going to push through it,' but definitely was in some pain."
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Turns out, Wingo's knee injury wasn't so little after all.
Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell greets defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo (94) before the game Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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Lions coach Dan Campbell said the rookie defensive lineman will miss the rest of the season with an injury that likely will require surgery.
"Hate that for him," Campbell told reporters at his Saturday news conference. "But I think everything'll be clean and he'll be healed for next one and that's good news."
Wingo is the eighth front-seven contributor the Lions have lost to injury this season, joining Aidan Hutchinson , Marcus Davenport , Derrick Barnes , Alex Anzalone , Malcolm Rodriguez , Kyle Peko and John Cominsky on the sidelines.
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Hutchinson, Davenport, Barnes and Peko suffered season-ending or likely season-ending injuries in the first six weeks. Cominsky has been out since training camp with a torn MCL. Anzalone broke his forearm and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. And Rodriguez tore his ACL against the Bears.
Rodriguez opened the season as a rotational linebacker but replaced Barnes in the starting lineup in Week 4 and played an even bigger role in recent weeks with Anzalone out.
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez walks off the field due to an injury during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. He tore the ACL in his right knee.
"He was playing so dang good for us," Campbell said. "He's been a staple for us, defensively, especially with the injuries and even before that he was playing for us. Not like he wasn't. He was really a spot starter anyway and then took over that role with the injuries, special teams guy for us. So it's another one, man, we hate to lose him, it's hard. But good news is, once he has this done he'll be good to go next year and he'll be healthy and ready to roll."
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Campbell said veteran Kwon Alexander , who the Lions signed off the Denver Broncos practice squad on Friday, could give the linebacking corps a similar boost to what David Long has provided the past two weeks.
Alexander played for the New Orleans Saints in 2020, when Campbell and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were assistants there.
"Kwon'll bring a whole nother energy, too," Campbell said. "He's all energy and he is a relentless player, he's an aggressive player. And he can run and hit, so he'll fit that room nicely and bring us a little something different."
The Lions intend to fill the linebacking spots next to Jack Campbell by committee until Anzalone returns
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Along with Alexander and Long, who signed to the practice squad Nov. 18 and was promoted to the 53-man roster Wednesday, Trevor Nowaske , Ben Niemann and Ezekiel Turner — all of whom started as special teams-only contributors — will have defensive roles going forward, Dan Campbell said.
The Lions may have to piece together a rotation on the defensive line for next week's game against the Green Bay Packers , too.
Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) left the Bears game with injuries , and Campbell said he is not optimistic the Lions will have either for a key division game next Thursday at Ford Field.
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is trending to be available after he was a pre-game scratch with a leg injury, and Campbell said starting cornerback Carlton Davis III is day-to-day after sitting out the Bears game with knee and thumb injuries.
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Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline" at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Post Local Bistro in Plymouth.
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions DT Mekhi Wingo out for season with knee injury
