Lions Veteran WR, RB Placed on IR, New Defensive Back Signed

The Detroit Lions' roster depth took a big hit Saturday with the injury to veteran wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr.

Wilson exited Saturday's 17-13 preseason win over the Washington Commanders with an apparent leg injury.

He caught back-to-back passes on the team's third drive, but left the game one play after his second catch where he appeared to land hard on his leg.

According to reports, Wilson has been placed on the injured reserve list, along with running back Raheem Blackshear.

Head coach Dan Campbell admitted he was concerned about the injury in his postgame press conference.

"I don't know for sure. I'm worried, I'm worried on that one. I love Wilson, man," Campbell said. "He's just a smart, crafty football player. Gets it, can play all the spots at receiver, special teams. We don't know. We're getting that knee looked at. We don't know, but I'll leave it at that."

Wilson finishes the preseason with three catches for 44 yards. Furthermore, he had been having a strong training camp thanks to his veteran presence in the receiver room. Before the injury, Wilson was considered to be one of the top contenders for the fifth wide receiver spot behind the team's established group of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Greg Dortch.

A 2018 sixth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, Wilson has notched over 100 receptions and over 1,200 receiving yards in his seven NFL seasons. The Lions are the fourth organization he's suited up for, joining the Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.

Wilson played collegiately for Boise State, where he notched back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards including 1,511 yards in his final campaign. He spent two years at Boise State after beginning his college career at Coffeyville Community College.

Other competitors in the race for that spot include Tay Martin, Tom Kennedy, Lucky Jackson, Tarik Black and Lucky Jackson. The Lions have already lost one other receiver for the season, as fifth-round draft pick Kendrick Law suffered a torn ACL during offseason workouts.

New defensive back signing

In corresponding moves, the team made the signing of running back Roydell Williams official.

Also, the team inked defensive back Jason Taylor to a contract.

Taylor, 26, appeared in three games during his freshman season at Oklahoma State.

He secured 99 tackles with six interceptions as a redshirt senior and was named a first team All-Big 12 player. After being selected in the seventh-round by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has also had stints with the Cardinals, Chiefs and Orlando Storm.

He has appeared in eight career games (2023) and recorded five solo tackles.

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