Detroit Lions scratch DJ Chark among late roster moves

In a move late Saturday that will certainly hurt the Lions come game time, Wide Reciever DJ Chark was ruled out due to an injury he sustained last week against the Minnesota Vikings.

Why is DJ Chark out?

When Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift were listed as out in this week’s injury report, many had hoped that the presence of WR DJ Chark would add a level of confidence on the field come Sunday. Well, as of Saturday night, the Lions have scratched Chark due to an ankle injury he sustained last Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. He had been limited throughout the practice week with an ankle injury related to the issue he had surgically addressed last season.

Heading into this weekend, Head Coach Dan Campbell was optimistic about Chark being able to play.

“His ankle’s a little bit sore, the one that he had repaired last year, but he’s good,” head coach Dan Campbell said before practice on Friday. “He’s good.”

Dan Campbell via MLIVE

Detroit Lions elevate Practice Squad players to replenish the ranks, replace DJ Chark, others

With such a depleted core, the Lions had to look to the practice squad to field a team. Fan favorite WR Tom Kennedy and Maurice Alexander have both been elevated from the practice squad to help fill the holes left by Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark; offensive tackle Dan Skipper and kicker Dominik Eberle were also signed to the 53-man roster.

WR Tom Kennedy led the team in receiving production during the preseason, catching 16 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Alexander has never appeared in an NFL game but was a standout return man for the USFL. He caught seven passes for 49 yards in the preseason.

Skipper will make his third straight start in place of Pro Bowler Jonah Jackson (finger) at left guard, while Eberle will start in place of Austin Seibert (right groin). Eberle’s career-long at Utah State was 52 yards.

Dan Skipper is notable for his passionate speech that aired on Hard Knocks following the Lions’ 36-27 victory over the Washington Commanders.

“Hey, man, I mean my sixth year in the league. I’ve never made a team. It’s tough, you go in, and you’re never quite good enough. You’re not quite enough. You show up every day, and you think you’re doing the right things, and just for whatever reason, it just doesn’t quite work out,” Skipper said

“I think I’ve had 20 NFL contracts? They’re not worth the paper they’re written on, right? So, it’s like, ‘Here we go again.’ Six years, I think things look good, and it sucks, but went home, got things – got to spend a week with the family, which was big. Got back up here, moved and all that,” said Skipper. “Just trying to get back to push your best foot ahead every day. It’s not easy. Whether you’ve been fired once or 100 times, it still sucks. It’s tough. You get fired, but just keep on plugging away.”

Dan Skipper – via Hard Knocks

Detroit waived tight end Shane Zylstra and guard Drew Forbes to make room for the signings.

What is the Detroit Lions Week 4 Injury Report?

Via Detroit Lions