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Detroit Lions place S Ifeatu Melifonwu on injured reserve for second time this year
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- Detroit Lions place S Ifeatu Melifonwu on injured reserve for second time this year
A day after they added him to their 53-man roster, the Detroit Lions put oft-injured safety Ifeatu Melifonwu back on injured reserve.
Melifonwu sought treatment for an Achilles tendon injury late in training camp and has not played this season.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) pulls down a long reception against Detroit Lions cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu (26) in the third quarter at Lambeau Field on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021.
The Lions initially placed Melifonwu on injured reserve Sept. 28, then started his 21-day return-to-practice window last month. On Monday, Lions coach Dan Campbell said Melifonwu suffered a new injury and "was not going to be ready for a while."
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The Lions activated Melifonwu from IR on Monday in order to allow him to return later this season. Had they kept Melifonwu on IR after his practice window expired this week, he would have had to remain on injured reserve for the season.
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A third-round pick out of Syracuse in 2021, Melifonwu spent most of his rookie season on IR with a quad injury and was limited to 10 games in 2022 by an ankle injury.
He had two interceptions and three sacks in six late-season starts while appearing in all 17 games last year.
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Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline" from noon-2 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Troy Sports Card Show at the Balkan American Community Center. Order your copy here. 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 safety Ifeatu Melifonwu back on injured reserve again
