Coming off a second knee surgery over the summer, Lions defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo was ready to go in Week 1 against the Packers. However, after playing 37 snaps in Green Bay, Wingo has essentially been shut down since then, having been a weekly inactive.
Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about Wingo and talked about how it was important to get Wingo more time to “get his legs under him” before getting him back into the mix along the defensive line.
“It was good to get him in there for a game. And then we just felt like, ‘Hey man, lets give this guy some more time just to get his legs under him, get him a little more seasoned.’ I mean, he’d only had really a week of practice, if that, coming off of that. Had no training camp.
“But we do feel like, man, he’s getting better and better every week. Look, we like where he’s at. We’re fortunate, we’ve got pretty good depth in that room right now. (Lions Executive Vice President/General Manager) Brad (Holmes)’s done an unbelievable job.
“We’ve got some length, we’ve got size, we’ve got a little speed. We’ve got some versatility. So, I’m glad he’s here. It’s not his own doing, it’s like any of the rest of the guys, man, you just keep working. Our eyes are always open in practice. I watch those all the time. I watch both sides of the ball. I’m looking at the scout team. You can earn your right to get back up just by the way you practice.”
It doesn’t sound like the Lions are in any rush to get the second-year defensive tackle back in the line anytime soon. They’re going to be cautious with him, especially after he missed the start of training camp, as Campbell alluded to.
Wingo posted nine tackles in limited snaps across 11 games as a rookie. He was selected in the 6th round of the 2024 draft out of LSU.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Dan Campbell speaks on getting Lions DL Mekhi Wingo back in lineup
Reporting by Billy Riccette, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
