Detroit Lions promote 2 players from practice squad for Bears game

The Detroit Lions have promoted two practice squad players for their Week 11 game against the Chicago Bears.

The Detroit Lions announced on Saturday the temporary promotion of two players from the practice squad—both the direct results of injuries. Offensive lineman Connor Galvin and defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna have been called up and will be eligible to play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Galvin’s promotion comes a few days after the Lions placed offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai on injured reserve. Coach Dan Campbell noted that Vaitai is unlikely to return this season, and with Jonah Jackson already declared out, the Lions are quite shorthanded on the offensive line. In fact, the Lions typically carry eight offensive linemen on their gameday roster—which allows them to have 48 active players instead of just 47. Galvin’s promotion gets them back up to eight healthy linemen, so expect Galvin to be active on Sunday.

An undrafted rookie out of Baylor, Galvin was signed just after the draft. This is Galvin’s second time being promoted to the active roster. When the Lions were shorthanded against the Packers in Week 4, Galvin was on the gameday roster and ended up playing seven snaps. He’s capable of backing up multiple spots, but he’s best suited at tackle, having started 50 games there in college.

Bohanna, on the other hand, was added after training camp—signing to the team’s practice squad shortly after being waived from the Dallas Cowboys during roster cuts. At 6-foot-4, 360 pounds, he’s a pure nose tackle who has 27 games and 10 starts worth of NFL experience and is capable of stepping in for Isaiah Buggs, who has already been declared out with an illness.

This week, coach Dan Campbell talked about the potential opportunity this week for both Bohanna and third-round rookie Brodric Martin.

“Those guys know they’ve got to earn their reps and we say early in the week, ‘Man, you’ve got to earn it and you’ll get an opportunity. And if you prove that you’re worthy of it, then we’ll put you in the game,’” Campbell said. “So, yeah, all of those guys know that are on the vet squad, that they’re going to have an opportunity, and most of those guys are ones that have been here for the duration. There’s a little turnover that happens, but ultimately, we think it’s important to have guys that we trust, know our system.”

The Bears, too, have made some roster adjustments in preparation for Sunday’s game: