Lions Bring Back Veteran RB One Week After Cutting Him

For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Detroit Lions are signing veteran running back Devine Ozigbo.

The Lions had initially signed the 27-year-old to their active roster ahead of their October 30 win over the the Las Vegas Raiders, but released him three days later. One week later, the Lions are once again adding Ozigbo to their practice squad and bringing some depth to a key position.

Devine Ozigbo Back Again

As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, Ozigbo had been released last week to allow the Lions to sign linebacker Trevor Nowaske to the active roster.

Ozigbo started the season on Detroit’s practice squad but was elevated twice before being signed to the active roster for the Raiders game. In his three total appearances, Ozigbo had three carries for 5 yards and one catch for 8 yards.

Ozigbo saw time both on offense and special teams in the October 30 win over the Raiders.

Lions Getting Healthier at Running Back

The Lions could be getting another important addition in the backfield as the injured David Montgomery was a full participant in practice on November 9. Montgomery said last week that he was taking his recovery slow and feeling better.

“We just trying to take it one day at a time,” Montgomery told the Detroit Free Press last week. “We really don’t know right now, but right now we’re just trying to make sure I get back as healthy as I can. The bye week helps a lot, just have a little bit of time, but other than that, we get right.”

Montgomery has now had the bye week to recover, and the Lions have a chance to build on their division lead against the Los Angeles Chargers. Heavy projections powered by Quarter4 give the Lions a 59% win probability for the game.

With Montgomery healthy, the team could be planning new twists on offense. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson hinted that the team could pair Montgomery with rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield at the same time.