Flowers will miss at least three more games due to his Knee Injury.

The Detroit Lions announced on Saturday that they have placed EDGE Trey Flowers on injured reserve and signed EDGE Rashod Berry from the practice squad to the active roster in a corresponding move. Additionally, the Lions have elevated defensive lineman Bruce Hector and linebacker Tavante Beckett to the active roster for their Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s been an injury-riddled year for Flowers. An early shoulder injury forced him into limited practices at the start of the season, then a knee injury was added to his list of ailments in Weeks 3 and cost him the next two games. He returned in Week 5, and while he continued to see limited work because of his knee, he was able to play in games. In Week 10, Flowers briefly left the game in Pittsburgh, only to return later and recover a fumble in overtime. That was the last time we have seen him on the field.

Flowers has been unable to practice the last three weeks, has missed the last two games, and now his stint on injured reserve will cost him at least another three games. That means, at best, Flowers can return to game action in Week 16 for the final three games of the season—if he is healthy enough to play.

Lions fans have been highly frustrated with Flowers’ injury status, and with a nearly $20 million cap hit (the highest on the team by nearly double), it’s understandable why. His 1.5 sacks on the season further flamed the fire and has created speculation if he may be a cap casualty this upcoming offseason. In 2022, Flowers has a scheduled cap hit of $23.2 million (with $12.8 million left in guarantees) but if he was released, the team would gain $10.4 million in cap space.

Berry takes Flowers’ roster spot and enters the Lions’ rotation at edge behind the likes of Charles Harris, Austin Bryant, Julian Okwara, and Jessie Lemonier. Berry has spent most of the season on the practice squad. Last year with the Patriots, he made three brief game appearances.

Beckett will give the Lions some depth at linebacker with Jalen Reeves-Maybin already declared out of Sunday. An undrafted rookie out of Marshall, Beckett has yet to make an NFL appearance in his career. His contributions will likely be felt on special teams, where the linebackers do the majority of the heavy lifting.

Hector’s elevation is interesting and could suggest that veteran Michael Brockers, who is listed as questionable with a knee injury, or John Penisini (illness) will be scratched against the Vikings. With the Lions recently releasing Da’Shawn Hand and Kevin Strong, along with Jashon Cornell still on reserve/non-football illness list, Hector will be at a minimum DL6 on the roster this week.