Lions declare RT Miller, LG Mahogany inactive

Lions LG Christian Mahogany (hip) will also make his return after a week-long absence, and RG Tate Ratledge (elbow) is good to go after two limited sessions early in the week. The Lions’ starting offensive line’s health is improving. Backup OG Ben Bartch (foot) has been ruled out.

Christian Mahogany (hip) was also ruled out. The Lions will be without their starting left guard and right tackle for Week 2. Larry Borom will take Miller’s spot in the lineup, while Ben Bartch will handle Mahogany’s duties. Neither player practiced once this week, though the extra rest between Thursday’s game and Week 3 will be good for both of them.

Reed was a mid-week addition to the injury report because of his foot issue. He was limited for the final two practices of the week. Reed is likely on the optimistic side of questionable, but we won’t know for sure until the Lions release their inactives 90 minutes before kickoff.

He was a surprise addition to the report on Tuesday. The Lions secondary, already starting a wave of low-level veteran free agents like Rock Ya-Sin, Avonte Maddox, and Chuck Clark, can ill-afford to lose Reed before taking on the Bills on Thursday night.

Miller will clearly have a chance to step in right away as the bookend on the other side of Penei Sewell, it did seem like the Lions were leaning towards having Sewell play left tackle this offseason. Rookie tackles are not exactly a dependable source of solid play right away, but Miller’s career at Clemson leads us to believe he’ll have a decent floor right away, which should help the Lions pass protection and run game this season.

Miller (6'7/317) enters the big leagues as a grizzled four-year starter who anchored the Tigers’ right tackle spot for the majority of his collegiate career. Somehow amassing more than 3,700 career snaps, Miller’s college days culminated with a 78.5 overall PFF grade in 2025 and an 83.5 pass-blocking mark, continuing a year-to-year climb in protection efficiency. He allowed pressure on just 1.8 percent of his 2025 pass-blocking reps while surrendering only two sacks, underscoring his consistency protecting the edge. Miller pairs production with outstanding athletic traits, posting a near-perfect 9.97 Relative Athletic Score highlighted by a 5.04s 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical, 9’5” broad jump and 32 bench reps, placing him among the most explosive linemen in the class. His combination of length (34 ¼” arms), power and movement skills allows him to mirror speed rushers in pass protection while generating displacement in the run game with strong leg drive. With elite testing numbers, multi-year starting experience and elite athleticism, Miller projects as an immediate Lions starter. His selection would seem to mean Penei Sewell mans the blindside.

Reed, a critical part of the Detroit secondary, will suit up for the first time since sustaining a serious hamstring injury in early October and landing on injured reserve. It’s not the best development for Jameis Winston and the Giants pass catchers. The Giants were massively run heavy in Week 11 against the Packers. Lions declared CB Terrion Arnold, RB Craig Reynolds, CB Nick Whiteside, DL Quinton Jefferson, and DL Mekhi Wingo inactive against New York.

Good thing, too, because the entire rest of the Lions defense found their way on to this report. Terrion Arnold (concussion), Kerby Joseph (knee) and Josh Paschal (back) were all ruled out. D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Amik Robertson (hamstring) are questionable. Both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should see slight matchup uggrades given the CB injuries.

The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett reports that Branch “worked out on the side during individual drills at practice Wednesday and had a noticeable limp as he left the locker room Thursday.” The Lions’ secondary could be extremely short-staffed against the Chiefs on Sunday night. Birkett notes that starting CBs, D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, are out indefinitely with hamstring and shoulder injuries. The Lions placed backup CB Khalil Dorsey on injured reserve this week and No. 3 safety Avonte Maddox “showed up on the injury report Thursday with a hamstring injury.”

Fellow cornerback Terrion Arnold is also expected to miss significant time with a shoulder injury, leaving the team extremely shorthanded on the back end ahead of a Week 6 matchup with the Chiefs. Safety Kerby Joseph has been tending to a knee injury as well.