Injury problems keep making their way down the Detroit Lions offensive line.
The Lions practiced without 3/5ths of their starting line for the second straight day Thursday, as Taylor Decker returned at left tackle but Jonah Jackson joined fellow interior linemen Frank Ragnow and Halapoulivaati Vaitai on the shelf.
Ragnow missed practice for a second straight day because of groin and foot injuries, while Jackson suffered a finger injury in practice Wednesday. Linemen often play through minor finger injuries, though Decker fractured his finger in practice last September and missed the first eight weeks of the season.
Vaitai, the Lions’ starting right guard, is out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery. And the Lions placed backup guard Tommy Kraemer on injured reserve Thursday to clear a roster spot for the newly-signed Kayode Awosika.
Running back D’Andre Swift also missed his second straight practice Thursday with a sprained ankle, while cornerback Amani Oruwariye left the field after stretching. Oruwariye spent a few minutes on the sideline with a trainer, where he appeared to be working to get his back loose, before heading to the locker room.
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Logan Stenberg is in line to make his second straight start at right guard, and the Lions could use Evan Brown at center and practice squad lineman Dan Skipper at guard if Ragnow and Jackson cannot play.
Right tackle Penei Sewell is the Lions’ only healthy starting lineman.
“I think Coach kind of has this mantra, no one handles adversity better than us and that’s not — right now for us that’s really up front just because we’ve had some guys get dinged up a little bit and guys have stepped up and answered the bell,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “We don’t shy away from it. Certainly it makes things a little bit different for us over the course of the week because the comfort level up front’s just a little bit off. So we got to continue to get reps and get on the same page. But (offensive line coach Hank) Fraley does a heck of a job getting those backups ready to go. If they’re in the game, it’s not generally going to influence much in terms of what we’re running.”
The Lions, 0-1 after their season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, face a Washington Commanders team this week that has one of the best defensive lines in football.
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Top pass rusher Chase Young is out for the Commanders as he recovers from a torn ACL, but Washington (1-0) still starts three first-round picks up front in edge rusher Montez Sweat and interior linemen Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.
“Those guys are about as good as it gets,” Johnson said.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.