Detroit defensive tackle Nick Fairley missed practice Wednesday and Thursday while recovering from the foot injury he re-aggravated last Sunday, and the Lions now have made precautionary moves to ensure they have enough depth on the defensive line if Fairley misses this weekend's game against the Minnesota Vikings, as expected.
MLive.com reported Friday that the Lions signed ex-Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jovan Haye, who would assume Fairley's place in the D-line rotation, and released cornerback Brandon McDonald to clear a spot on the 53-man roster.
Haye was selected in the sixth-round by the Carolina Panthers in the 2005 draft and since has played for the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Titans.
Fairley injured his foot during the Lions' loss to the New Orleans Saints last Sunday, and he had his NFL debut delayed until Week 5 by another foot injury sustained during training camp. Lions coach Jim Schwartz told the media earlier this week that he did not expect Fairley to undergo surgery at the end of the season.
"It's an injury," Fairley told MLive.com after Thursday's practice. "They told me it was going to happen. I was going to have some good days and some bad days. I just got to deal with it, get my treatment, then get it back to where I need it ... Just dealing with the soreness of it."
