Lions Activate DE Da'Shawn Hand

The Detroit Lions announced a series of roster moves on Saturday afternoon ahead of their Week 8 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, who has been sidelined since just prior to the start of the season with a groin injury, has been activated from the injured reserve list. 

“I would say (Da’Shawn) Hand is the closest one to being ready to go and he’s another, ‘We’ll see what he looks like today.’ He had a pretty good day yesterday," head coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Friday. "We’ll see how he feels after today’s practice, how he wakes up in the morning or after today and go from there.”

Hand has battled a myriad of injuries since his rookie season. The 25-year-old has only recorded two tackles for loss, and has missed several games (26) due to various injuries the past 24 months.

"When I flipped on the tape and when he's healthy, he's something. I think he's something teams are going to have to deal with," defensive line coach Todd Wash told reporters this offseason. "That's my job, is to get him to be able to stay healthy, get him prepared physically and athletically. He has a chance to be a special player in this league. We just got to keep him healthy."

The 25-year-old defensive lineman is hoping playing around 293 pounds will allow him to be more stout at the point of attack. 

Additionally, the team signed defensive end Eric Banks to the practice squad, while cornerback Shakur Brown was released from the practice squad. 

Safety Jalen Elliott and tight end Brock Wright were also activated from the practice squad.