D’Andre Swift returned to practice Monday for the first time in almost two weeks and will remain a limited participant on Tuesday.
Swift suffered a soft-tissue injury during practice Aug. 20 and has been on the field sparingly since.
Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia mentioned Swift among a handful of players that “won’t really be doing much” in his pre-practice video conference, along with wide receiver Danny Amendola, tight end Hunter Bryant, safety Jayron Kearse and cornerback Darryl Roberts.
[ Lions weigh backup decisions as roster cut down to 53 looms ]
Patricia said Swift did not suffer any setbacks in his return to practice Monday.
“It’s not ideal (that Swift has missed so much time),” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said Sunday. “There’s a lot on these rookies’ plates right now just in terms of everything’s new for them. Obviously, he’s trying to pick up a whole new offense and we did not have the offseason. I think that’s what’s so critical and every day that we miss, I think it puts you further behind in terms of, not necessarily just knowing your assignment, but then it’s how your assignment fits to each and every one of the looks that you can get from the defense.
“It’s one thing to see them on paper, it’s one thing to see them on tape, but it’s another thing to go out there and actually execute what you’re supposed to execute, make the decisions that you’re supposed to make at a quick level, and he’s missing all those different reps.”
More on Lions: They still hope to have fans at Ford Field as soon as Nov. 1 vs. Colts
Swift, a second-round pick out of Georgia, is expected to play a significant role on the Lions offense whenever he’s healthy.
The Lions also waived wide receiver Geremy Davis on Tuesday. Davis, a standout special teams player, signed as free agent this spring but was a long shot to make the roster with the emergence of backups Quintez Cephus, Marvin Hall and Jamal Agnew in training camp.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Lions content.