- On the heels of a 25-sack college career at BYU, the Lions selected linebacker Kyle Van Noy in the second round of the 2014 draft. Van Noy amassed just one sack in 30 games with the Lions, though, and they traded him to the Patriots last month for a late-round pick. In his Pats debut last week, Van Noy picked up 29 snaps and a sack in a win over the 49ers, and he admitted Thursday that his Detroit tenure was frustrating because the club seldom used him as a pass rusher. “Oh yeah, who wouldn’t be when you did that your whole college career and then all of a sudden you’re not allowed to, or they don’t want you to,” he told Ryan Hannable of WEEI.
Thursday’s practice squad changes:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Corey Fuller
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Devin Street (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Earl Okine (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
The Vikings are unlikely to have their top wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, for their Thanksgiving showdown with the NFC North rival Lions, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Diggs, who’s dealing with a knee injury and hasn’t practiced this week, easily paces the Vikings in receptions (67), targets (87) and yards (747). Minnesota defeated the Texans in its only game without Diggs this season, but the Vikings have lost four of five since and now have the same record (6-4) as first-place Detroit.
- The Lions have signed quarterback Jake Rudock to the active roster from the practice squad.
- The Lions announced that they have waived wide receiver Corey Fuller. The 2013 sixth-round pick had 18 catches for 288 yards over two-plus seasons in Detroit.
- The Lions worked out quarterbacks Keith Wenning and Logan Thomas along with wide receivers Dres Anderson, Tyler Murphy, and Andrew Turzilli, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets. Anderson has since signed with Chicago’s practice squad.
[SOURCE LINK]
The Lions could get tight end Brandon Pettigrew back on the field before the year is through. Pettigrew returned to practice today, kickstarting the team’s three-week window to activate him. If his knee holds up, he could return to action. Word on the veteran’s knee has been positive as of late. 
Pettigrew was placed on the PUP list in late August, helping the team to get down to the 75-man max. In September, he agreed to rework his contract in order to remain in Detroit. The tight end was previously set to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $3.65MM for 2016. The new deal granted Pettigrew ~$129K – or, 1/17th of his $2.2MM split salary. If he is brought on to the 53-man roster, he’ll earn almost $215K, which is 1/17th of $3.65MM, his original base salary.
Pettigrew, 31, caught only 17 passes for 137 yards between 2014 and 2015. These days, he is relied on more for his blocking ability than anything else.
James Laurinaitis is now healthy and available for hire. The linebacker is working out today for the Lions today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The Saints placed Laurinaitis on IR earlier this year but he felt that he could return from his quad injury. However, the Saints already used their IR-DTR slot on rookie Sheldon Rankins, which meant that the veteran could not play again for the Saints in 2016. Last week, the Saints agreed to cut Laurinaitis from the roster if he could pass a physical and he held up his side of the bargain.
The 29-year-old (30 in December) was a rock for the Rams as he started 112 consecutive games. With the Saints, he was bitten by the injury bug and saw time in only six games. When Laurinaitis signed a three-year, $8.5MM deal back in March, it seemed like a solid value for the Saints. Unfortunately, things did not pan out.
The Lions have been thin at linebacker ever since Jon Bostic underwent foot surgery earlier this year. He was considered to be the team’s top candidate for return from IR, but he has yet to be activated even though he has been eligible since Week 8. It’s possible that the Lions are instead hoping to get Ameer Abdullah back in the lineup. Abdullah will meet with a foot specialist on Tuesday to determine whether he can start practicing. If he gets the green light, the Lions may opt to sign a linebacker like Laurinaitis instead of bringing Bostic back.
- The Lions‘ running game could get a boost down the stretch, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Per Rapoport, Ameer Abdullah, who is currently on IR with a foot injury, will meet with Dr. Robert Anderson on Tuesday to see if he can begin practicing. There is a realistic chance that Abdullah could be active in three weeks.
- The Lions are no lock to win the NFC North, but they are certainly looking like the favorites at this point in the season. However, if Detroit collapses and fails to win its first division title in 23 years, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press does not believe head coach Jim Caldwell would keep his job.
The Lions have yet to decide which player they will reinstate off the injured reserve list, and the possibility remains that running back Ameer Abdullah could be the returnee, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Detroit is thought to be choosing between Abdullah and linebacker Jon Bostic, both of whom have been sidelined since early this season.
[RELATED: Detroit Lions Depth Chart]
Bostic, who underwent foot surgery earlier this season, technically could have come off IR as soon as Week 8, and was participating in running drills during practice sessions during the past few weeks. He’d certainly be a welcome addition to a Lions linebacking corps that has already traded away Kyle Van Noy and will likely be without starter DeAndre Levy on Sunday against the Jaguars.
Abullah, however, would also be able to help the first-place Lions — though the club is excelling on the offensive side of the ball, most of that success has been through the passing game, as Detroit’s rushing attack ranks just 27th in DVOA. Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said earlier this month that Abdullah was a candidate to return, and he’d add a stabilizing presence to a backfield that has seen Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington, Zach Zenner and Justin Forsett earn carries.
Caldwell also told reporters that Detroit’s record and/or playoff position won’t factor into the club’s decision on which player to activate, per Twentyman. “You look at the next game, see where you are, see what kind of injuries you have,” said Caldwell. “You make adjustments and then put yourself in the best position to win the next game. That’s how we look at it and I think that’s the only way you should look at it. There’s too many things that can happen along the way, every game is extremely important.”