With Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow expected to miss multiple weeks with a turf toe injury, the Detroit Lions signed a potential replacement as part of their weekly roster shuffling Tuesday.
The Lions signed rookie center Ryan McCollum off the Houston Texans’ practice squad and placed outside linebacker Romeo Okwara on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon.
McCollum started parts of three seasons at Texas A&M and went undrafted in the spring.
Ragnow suffered a turf toe injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. He left the game after a premature snap that bounced off Jared Goff’s leg and into the hands of a Bears defensive lineman.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Ragnow is doubtful to play this week against the Minnesota Vikings, and the Lions have told others across the league Ragnow could miss multiple games.
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Evan Brown is expected to start at center against the Vikings. The Lions (0-4) must keep McCollum on their active roster for at least the next three weeks.
Along with McCollum, the Lions promoted outside linebacker Jessie Lemonier from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
The team also protected four practice squad players this week, meaning they cannot sign with other teams: safety Jalen Elliott, defensive tackle Bruce Hector, quarterback Steven Montez and kicker Ryan Santoso, who has handled place kicking duties the past two weeks with Austin Seibert on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Okwara announced on Instagram he will undergo surgery to repair his Achilles later this week.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.