ALLEN PARK — Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle/finger) is heading back to injured reserve just one day after the Detroit Lions activated him.
This update shouldn’t surprise anyone, as Dan Campbell said the Lions expected to be without the hard-hitting safety for a while due to a new injury. Melifonwu had been working back into practice over the last two weeks. But he was listed with a finger injury on last week’s reports, and then this update came through.
Melifonwu has not played this season, eventually landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury suffered in the preseason. This latest stint on injured reserve places an even more uncertain timeline, with the safety unable to even make it to the finish line of his 21-day practice window.
” … He had something come up, and he’s not going to be — he won’t be ready for a while. He’s not going to be ready for a while,” Campbell said Monday. “Yeah, but this is a different injury, so now it falls under a whole other deal. It’s like a reset.”
Campbell didn’t close the door for a return this season, saying it could be open: “Potentially, yeah.”
However, the Melifonwu situation hasn’t featured many positive quotes or updates this season. It’s a shame after how last year ended, too. Melifonwu, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, played a key role in the team’s march to a division crown and berth in the NFC title game.
The versatile defensive back was a problem whenever sent on blitzes and made some timely interceptions down the stretch. And while Detroit’s defense continues to lose key pieces, they have one of the best safety duos around.
Brian Branch has been an all-around breakout stud this season, building off of last year’s impressive rookie campaign. Kerby Joseph has a league-leading seven interceptions through just 10 games in his third season.
Pro Football Focus ranks Joseph first and Branch second among safeties with at least 20% of their team’s snaps. One is a freak athlete and ball hawk, while the other can do a little bit of everything while bringing the boom, and that works.
“Those two guys are doing a hell of a job for us, and the thing is, they’re not even close to where they’re going to be,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said earlier this month. “And when I talk about that, that’s just understanding the game as they get older and understanding the things we’re trying to do with them technically that they have to do a better job at.”
