Amani Oruwariye’s breakout season is over.
The Detroit Lions placed Oruwariye on season-ending injured reserve Saturday with a thumb injury he suffered late in last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Oruwariye suffered what Lions coach Dan Campbell described as a ligament and bone injury on the final drive of the game.
He did not practice this week and was consulting with specialists to see if he would require surgery.
A fifth-round pick out of Penn State in 2019, Oruwariye leads the Lions and ranks third in the NFL with six interceptions.
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He had the key play in the Lions’ upset of the Cardinals, picking off a Kyler Murray pass early in the third quarter — two plays after Godwin Igwebuike lost a fumble near midfield — to set up the Lions’ game-clinching touchdown.
Oruwariye is the third starting cornerback the Lions have lost to season-ending injury. Jeff Okudah ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in a season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and his replacement, Jerry Jacobs, tore his ACL earlier this month.
Rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu is expected to replace Oruwariye in the starting lineup, opposite Will Harris, who played exclusively safety in his NFL career before last month.
“There’ll be some things that’ll come up, but man I feel like he’s moving pretty good and he’s conscientious and if he gets and opportunity, he’ll go make the most of it,” Campbell said.
The Lions also elevated three practice squad players to their game day roster as COVID-19 replacements: Tight end Shane Zy and linebackers Tavante Beckett and Curtis Bolton.
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