Former rookie phenom a healthy scratch in Week 1 against the Rams and that is not a great sign for him

The wait is almost over. The Detroit Lions will be back to work in less than two hours against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, but first, here's who won't be playing for either team on Sunday night: Lions Inactives DT DJ ReaderEdge James HoustonOTGiovanni ManuS Loren StricklandS Ifeatu MelifonwuOT Colby SorsdalLB Trevor […]

Mike Payton Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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The wait is almost over. The Detroit Lions will be back to work in less than two hours against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, but first, here's who won't be playing for either team on Sunday night:


Lions Inactives

  • DT DJ Reader
  • Edge James Houston
  • OTGiovanni Manu
  • S Loren Strickland
  • S Ifeatu Melifonwu
  • OT Colby Sorsdal
  • LB Trevor Nowaske

There was some optimism earlier in the week that DJ Reader could play in this game after missing all of camp coming back from his quad injury, but he will be out and we'll have to wait one more week to see him play. 

James Houston had a rough summer and seemed like the Lions might cut him at the cutdown. It was a surprise that they didn't. I feels like a pretty bad sign for him that he's a healthy scratch right out of the gate. 


Rams Inactives

  • OT Rob Havenstein
  • RB Cody Schrader
  • LB Brennan Jackson
  • LB Elias Neal
  • Edge Desjaun Johnson

 The Rams missing Havenstein is a big one for a team that's also going to be missing their starting left tackle.