One man’s return to the 53-man roster is another man’s one-way ticket back to the practice squad.

This is the reality for Nick Whiteside as DJ Reed takes a big step toward returning to the field following a hamstring injury suffered during a 34-10 win in Week 4 over the Cleveland Browns.

Reed has 16 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery through one month of play this season. Defensive end Marcus Davenport also sees his 21-day window open from injury reserve. Their returns come on the heels of a stretch in which Detroit has given up at least 20 points in four of the team’s last five games.

Nick Whiteside’s Breakout Not Enough to Save Roster Spot

Whiteside, who earned Reed’s praise during the team’s 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, has bounced on and off the practice squad. He’ll probably be the one who gets bumped from the main team. Arthur Maulet has Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s trust. He’s not going anywhere. Whiteside will likely be retained for the practice squad, though.

Whiteside was too good against the Bucs to give up on. He’s come too far from the Washington Commanders to the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks, back to the NFL, to have the plug pulled on him completely. Whiteside is the ultimate Division II success story out of Saginaw Valley State of the Great Lakes Conference. There’s no functional reason to cut ties completely. Not with Reed having one of the shakier injuries in sports.

Solid fill-ins are tough to find. Whiteside is a system fit who should have a future in the Motor City that extends to at least the end of the 2025 season; at least since Brad Holmes did nothing to improve the roster at the November 4 trade deadline.

DJ Reed Excited to Return to Lions After Thinking Season Was Over

Reed shared excitement for his return ahead of a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles at the Linc, revealing a fear he had that he wouldn’t be back to help his team this season.

“I went from thinking like, dang, my season’s over, very unfortunate, especially because I feel like I was getting into the groove of things here, to now I’m gonna be back,” Reed prefaced before saying, “So I’m really hungry and I’m ready to help this team make that push.”

In the first year of a three-year, $48 million contract, Reed’s return comes at a good time, since every team in the NFC North is separated by, at most, two games in the standings.