Lions Week 6 inactives: Rookie RB Jermar Jefferson to make NFL debut

The Lions’ seventh-round pick is ACTIVE for the first time in his career.

The Detroit Lions have declared their inactives ahead of a Week 6 matchup against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.

The Lions made a few roster moves this week, placing WR Quintez Cephus and NB/KR Corey Balentine on injured reserve, signing rookie CB Mark Gilbert off the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad, as well as elevating WR Geronimo Allison and NB Nickell Robey-Coleman from their practice squad for this game, bringing the active roster to 54 players.

Because the Lions have eight offensive linemen active for today’s game, they are eligible to expand their game-day roster from 46 to 48 players.

Therefore, with 54 players available and 48 eligible to play, the Lions need to declare six inactive for today’s matchup.

Here are those six players:

Lions inactives:

• WR Trinity Benson
• DL Eric Banks
• DL Jashon Cornell
• EDGE Jesse Lemonier
• CB Mark Gilbert
• DB Daryl Worley

Jermar Jefferson is active for the first time this season and with the Lions hoping to control the game on the ground, there’s a chance he sees the field on offense on a handful of plays.

The Lions opted to keep only five receivers active today and in a bit of a surprise move, Trinity Benson is a healthy scratch, making Tom Kennedy and Geronimo Allison active for the first time this season. Benson has struggled recently, but by all accounts, the Lions remain optimistic about the receiver.

Banks has yet to see any regular season action since the Lions claimed him off waivers. A healthy and deep defensive line is surely playing a factor here.

Cornell has been back from suspension for three weeks now, but has still yet to crack the game day roster. Even with Kevin Strong on injured reserve, he has still been inactive and unable to crack the two-deep rotation.

Lemonier is the Lions’ fifth option on the EDGE, and while they prefer five during the week at practices, they have consistently only kept four active on game day. He is the odd man out again with the rest of the position group healthy.

Gilbert has been with the team less than a week and is surely still acclimating to the team and the playbook. The rookie could get some looks down the road but unless there are injures ahead of him on the depth chart he will likely be inactive for the next several weeks.

Worley has now been inactive for the past two weeks. Originally a corner, the Lions have been using him at safety and it’s fair to wonder if he is still adjusting to the new position.

Bengals inactives:

• CB Tre Flowers
• DE Darius Hodge
• WR Mike Thomas
• DT Tyler Shelvin