Defensive tackle Corey Williams has been bothered by knee problems all year and they’ve now caused his season to end three games early.
The Lions placed Williams on injured reserve Tuesday after missing four of the last five games because of the injury. The team signed defensive tackle Andre Fluellen to replace him on the roster.
Williams was limited to seven games this year and had surgery in September in hopes of clearing up the knee issue. He returned to start two October games, but he’s been off the field a lot more than he’s been on it since then. He ends the year with two sacks and a forced fumble. He’s set to become a free agent after the season and said recently that he wants to remain in Detroit.
“If it’s me having to be a backup, then hey, that’s what I got to do,” Williams said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “If it’s, ‘Well, you got to get out here in training camp, and it’s like a battle of who’s going to remain the starter,’ hey, that’s what I’ll do. I don’t have no problem with whatever goes on.”
Fluellen spent the last four years with the Lions, but got cut at the end of preseason and landed in Miami for two games earlier this year. His familiarity with the system should help him get up to speed quickly, which might be a necessity if Nick Fairley’s shoulder injury keeps him out of the lineup.