The Detroit Lions have claimed defensive end Mitchell Loewen off of waivers from the New Orleans Saints, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.
Loewen will replace defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson on the Lions’ roster, as Robinson was placed on the injured reserve list due to a knee injury he suffered in Detroit’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings last weekend.
Loewen played in just one game with the Saints this season, failing to register a tackle.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Arkansas, went undrafted but was signed by New Orleans as a free agent in May 2016.
He did not appear in a single game in 2016. He then took the field twice the following year, but, like this season, he did not record a tackle.
The Lions have an incredible 12 players on the injured reserve list and have 14 injured players overall, with cornerback DeShawn Shead and tight end Luke Willson sidelined for the season finale against the Green Bay Packers.
Seven of Detroit’s players on injured reserve are full-time starters.
That is essentially a microcosm of how the Lions’ season has gone, as they will limp into the final week of the year with a record of 5-10 in Matt Patricia’s first year as head coach.
Detroit has made the playoffs just three times since 2000 and has not won a postseason game since the 1991-92 campaign, when it made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game before falling to the Washington Redskins.
The Lions last made the playoffs two years ago.
