Lions Place Austin Bryant on PUP List Prior to Training Camp

Defensive lineman Austin Bryant is again placed on the NFL's physically unable to perform list.

Author:
John Maakaron
Updated:
Jul 25, 2021 12:04 PM EDT
Original:
Jul 25, 2021

The Detroit Lions will be without one of their young defensive linemen, as the beginning of training camp gets underway later this week.

The Lions placed defensive end Austin Bryant on the physically unable to perform list Sunday.

Bryant, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, has struggled to remain healthy early in his career.

The organization was hopeful the third-year defensive lineman would take a step forward this season to aid a struggling defense.

After a stint on the injured reserve list his rookie campaign, Bryant saw his first NFL action in Week 12 against the Washington Football Team.

He then was inactive for the following two weeks, before playing in the final three weeks of the season.

In two seasons, Bryant has only appeared in 10 games, and is in danger of falling further behind the depth chart, as the organization spent valuable draft picks in 2021 on the defensive line.

It is also important to note that Bryant is eligible to return to action at any point in time, based on his current designation.

The Lions also announced that they placed wideout Javon McKinley on the active/non-football injury list and offensive lineman Evan Heim on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Similar to Bryant, McKinley can return to the active roster at any point.

In 2020, McKinley played in 11 games at Notre Dame. The wideout secured 42 catches for 717 yards (17.1 yards-per-catch average) and three touchdowns.

He is expected to have a solid opportunity to earn a roster spot, if he performs well and impresses the new Lions coaching staff.

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