The Lions have designated cornerback/returner Jamal Agnew to return from injured reserve, the club announced today.
Agnew was originally placed on IR on October 15, and given the NFL’s requirement that IR/return players miss six weeks, the earliest Agnew can return is Week 15. He was allowed to return to practice today, however, opening a three-week window during which the Lions must decide whether to activate Agnew to their 53-man roster, or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Agnew, 23, earned All-Pro honors as a specialist during his rookie season in 2017 after leading the NFL in punt return yardage and average, and also scored two touchdowns on special teams. His prowess in the kicking game had continued into this season, but Agnew had also been asked to play more on defense, where his playtime percentage had jumped from just 7.8% a year ago to 36.3% in 2018. Pro Football Focus gave Agnew poor marks for his coverage abilities, however, grading him as a bottom-10 cornerback.
Detroit has no chance at making the postseason, so it’s fair to wonder why the Lions would risk Agnew’s health in a lost year. But as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Agnew could use the final three weeks of the 2018 campaign to get more experience playing cornerback. Detroit can certainly use all the help it can get, as the club has been deploying lackluster options Nevin Lawson and Mike Ford (an undrafted rookie free agent) alongside Darius Slay. The Lions currently rank 31st in both pass defense DVOA and opposing passer rating allowed.