The Detroit Lions made some roster moves on Saturday and everything they did was interesting and offered some big questions for the remainder of the year. Here's what they did. 

Placed Carlton Davis, Khalil Dorsey, and Alim McNeill on injured reserve

Right off the bat, it made a lot of sense to us to put three guys on IR instead of four because we believed that one of them could come back. We thought that guy was Carlton Davis. Maybe it still is and that means that Derrick Barnes and John Cominsky might really be done for the year. 

But the guy who didn't get put on IR is David Montgomery. The whole thing with his injury continues to lead to questions. This is not typically a season-ending injury. There's a possibility that he could squeak back in if the Lions make it to the Super Bowl. That's nearly eight weeks away. 

Just yesterday we wrote about Dr. Colin Looney telling A to Z Sports that a grade three MCL injury, which is a tear, could keep a player out for 6-8 weeks. That's the highest grade too. There is no MCL injury worse than that. Maybe there is hope that if the Lions go the distance, Montgomery could be there. Davis could be too, but it likely means just Davis and Hutchinson are coming back. No Cominsky or Barnes. We'll see on this. 

Update: Montgomery pretty much confirms that there's a chance he might be back this year. 

RB David Montgomery is hosting a coat drive here in Detroit just days after Dan Campbell said he’ll need surgery and will be done for the season.

Montgomery said he’s alive and well when I asked how he’s feeling. Told me he wasn’t put on IR today because he’s working through… pic.twitter.com/HVGjOSaUAF

— Dannie (@dannierogers___) December 17, 2024

By the way, the Lions now have two open roster spots. 

Released Isaiah Thomas from practice squad

Thomas just never quite caught on after the Lions poached him away from the Bengals a few weeks back. He was initially released and then signed to the practice squad. Now the Lions are moving on completely.

Signed CB Stanley Thomas-Oliver to the practice squad

The corresponding move for Thomas was to bring in Thomas-Oliver. The 26-year-old cornerback was a seventh-round pick by the Panthers in 2020. He spent three seasons with them before being released in October of last year. He spent the remainder of the season on the Giants practice squad. They signed him to a futures deal, but he got hurt early in camp this summer.

Thomas-Oliver was signed to the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL, but now he is coming to the Lions. He's played 25 regular season games in his career. 

Made Anthony Pittman poaching from Jaguars official

This was reported on Monday. The Lions are bringing back the special teams ace to help out on both special teams and defense. 

Dan Campbell is going full Clark Griswold on the Lions and their fans and it’s exactly what everyone needed

I know what you want Detroit Lions fans. You want to be sad right now. You want to be angry and mad and depressed and feel like the season is over. Deep down inside, a part of you craves that feeling, and I totally get it. I want to feel that way too because if […]