The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday that they have elevated offensive tackle Connor Galvin and safety Brandon Joseph for their Week 4 game against the Green Bay Packers. This is a temporary elevation, so both players will revert back to the practice squad after the game concludes.
Galvin is a necessary promotion from the practice squad, seeing as the Lions’ offensive tackle situation is a bit dire. Last week—already down left tackle Taylor Decker—the Lions lost backup Matt Nelson to a serious ankle injury (now officially on IR), and his backup Dan Skipper also suffered a hamstring injury. Galvin being promoted from the practice squad this week over Skipper is an indication Skipper is still dealing with that hamstring injury.
Galvin is an undrafted rookie who started a total of 50 games at left tackle for Baylor over five years. He and rookie guard Colby Sorsdal will be the primary backups at tackle, while Detroit also has Colby Sorsdal to act as a reserve for the interior offensive line. Thankfully, it appears starting left tackle Taylor Decker will play on Thursday, meaning Galvin and Sorsdal will be insurance.
Brandon Joseph’s elevation is a sign that starting safety Kerby Joseph—who is listed as questionable with a hip injury—will likely not play Thursday against the Packers. Joseph suffered his injury early in Week 2, and despite coming back into that game, he has not played since. With a full week of estimated “limited” practices, it seems like Kerby Joseph will be able to return in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers.
Brandon Joseph was elevated last week but ended up just playing six special teams snaps. Players are permitted to be elevated from the practice squad three times in a season. So the Lions can do it one more time with Brandon Joseph. After that, they’ll have to sign him to the 53-man roster if they want him available on game day.
The Lions also confirmed the earlier report that tight end Darrell Daniels is being signed to the 53-man roster. He provides veteran depth at the tight end position and could fill in at fullback for Jason Cabinda, who has already been declared out for Week 4.