DETROIT – It sounds like the Detroit Lions have lost one of their offensive linemen for the rest of the season.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, and when head coach Dan Campbell was asked Wednesday whether the veteran guard would be able to return this season, he didn’t sound optimistic.
“That’s hard to say,” Campbell said. “I think it’s probably unlikely, but I don’t want to -- never say never. But I’d say it’s probably unlikely.”
Campbell said Vaitai is struggling with the same type of back injury that caused him to miss the entire 2022 season.
“Just a little bit of residual effect of it,” Campbell said. “Look, (Vaitai) is unbelievable. He really is. There’s nothing easy about the injury he’s had to come back from. Then he had the knee. He’s been rehabbing this thing for a long time. He’s put in a ton of work, and that’s not easy. That’s not easy at all, but he’s the type of guy, you ask him how he’s doing, he says he’s fine. That’s just him.”
The Lions just got left guard Jonah Jackson and center Frank Ragnow back from injury last weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers. Campbell had announced earlier in the week that Graham Glasgow earned the starting spot at right guard over Vaitai.
But as the Lions know all too well, injuries can pile up fast, so losing Vaitai is a hit to the offensive line depth. That could come into play later this season.
“No matter what, I told him, we want him around here,” Campbell said. “He wants to be around, and he’s still very much a part of us and what we are here.”