Lions place Desmond Trufant, Danny Shelton on injured reserve

Detroit Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell could be without two defensive starters likely for the remainder of the regular season. 

The Lions confirmed on Wednesday that cornerback Desmond Trufant and defensive tackle Danny Shelton have gone on the injured reserve list. 

Per Justin Rogers of The Detroit News, Trufant aggravated a lingering hamstring problem in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Houston Texans that dropped Detroit to 4-7 on the season. The 30-year-old previously missed five games this season because of the problem. 

Trufant tallied 20 total tackles, one interception, a sack and four passes defended in his first six games with the Lions after signing a two-year contract in the offseason.

Shelton, essentially on a "prove it" deal with Detroit, hurt his knee against Houston after playing in each game of the campaign. He accumulated 36 total tackles and one sack. 

Players on IR must miss a minimum of three games, meaning the pair will sit out upcoming showdowns with the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans. Depending on what happens before a Week 16 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Lions could just shut Trufant and Shelton down. 

The club parted ways with general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia following the loss to the Texans, which suggests rentals such as Trufant and Shelton could become salary-cap casualties when the new NFL year opens. 

In corresponding roster moves, Detroit activated rookie tight end Hunter Bryant off IR and signed defensive tackle Kevin Strong off the practice squad.