Detroit Lions waive/injured RB Mohamed Ibrahim, add safety depth

The Detroit Lions have added a new safety after injuries to Ifeatu Melifonwu and Saivion Smith. While Mohamed Ibrahim was waived with an injury designation.

The Detroit Lions announced on Sunday they have waived running back Mohamed Ibrahim with an injury designation and signed safety Scott Nelson.

It’s a tough break for Ibrahim, who was one of the team’s higher-priority undrafted rookie signings. After a record-setting college career at Minnesota, Ibrahim came to Detroit with a real opportunity to make the team as the third or fourth running back on the roster. Unfortunately for Ibrahim, he suffered an injury in the preseason opener and has not returned since.

If Ibrahim clears waivers, he’ll return to Detroit on the injured reserve list. From there, he can stay and sit out the 2023 season, or if his injury is not considered too serious, he can agree to an injury settlement and become a free agent.

Meanwhile, the Lions are still seeking running back depth behind starters David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. On Saturday, Craig Reynolds appeared to be the team’s preferred option, playing the entire first half. However, Jermar Jefferson, Benny Snell, and Devine Ozigbo are all still in the competition.

As for Nelson, he joins a beat-up safety room. In Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, both reserves Saivion Smith and Ifeatu Melifonwu suffered injuries, and coach Dan Campbell did not sound optimistic about their outlook.

“We’ll know more tomorrow, but I think they could be down a little bit here,” Campbell said. “I don’t know how long that is, but I think it could be a long shot for Carolina.”

Nelson, a Detroit native, went undrafted in 2022 after playing for the University of Wisconsin for four years. He spent some time on the Seahawks practice squad before getting picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the season. He signed a futures deal there but was waived in June.