Detroit Lions OL Who Is Battling For Roster Spot Placed On NFI

Detroit Lions OL Giovanni Manu has already landed on an injury list.

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) during OTAs at Allen Park Performance Center | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who is currently battling for a roster spot, was placed on the Active/Non-Football injury list, following the teams first official 2026 training camp practice.

A player can land on the league's official NFI list if they get injured participating in an activity away from the team.

Unfortunately, Manu was already facing an uphill battle to land a spot on the 53-man roster.

In many of the early roster projections, pundits have left Manu off the roster, due to his inexperience and lack of early productivity.

The team has often acknowledged they were taking a long-term approach with the 25-year-old, but the 2026 season has been viewed by many as his last chance to prove he can contribute.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, general manager Brad Holmes was not all that commital about Manu being in the mix for a starting job in 2026.

Injuries have plagued the inexperienced offensive lineman, as he was placed on IR in October of last season due to a knee injury following his first career NFL start.

In fact, the team made the decision to trade for Juice Scruggs, drafting rookiei Blake Miller and added veteran Ben Bartch to the mix.

Manu is Holmes' most risky pick, as he was viewed as a raw player who did not face the same level of competition as draft prospects who play collegiately in the United States.

Prior to veteran Taylor Decker asking to be released, the veteran mentored Manu last offseason.

In Arizona, Manu worked with Decker last offseason to fine tune his skill set.

Dan Campbell indicated Manu was an inconstent player last year, when asked about what progress he had observed up until that point.

"He'll take two steps up and then one step back, and so that's kind of where he's at. He'll have a good day and then there's a couple of things that'll slide that we've got to keep working on with him. And he knows this," said Campbell. "As long as he keeps pushing, he'll be fine. That's what he's got to do is learn from it, listen to what Hank's (Fraley) telling him and Steve (Oliver) and those veterans and work on it, improve and just get better every day."

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