The Lions placed offensive lineman Ben Bartch, wide receiver Tom Kennedy and linebacker Devin White on injured reserve on Friday of their bye week. The team announced the moves on its official account, per NFL Trade Rumors. Pro Football Talk described it as roster business taken care of during the bye.

All three must miss a minimum of four games, according to NFL Trade Rumors and Pride Of Detroit. Pride Of Detroit added that they could be out longer depending on their injuries. None of the summaries we have says what the injuries are, and none gives a return date. Yahoo Sports framed the moves as freeing roster spots and opening the door for reinforcements, but the feed summaries don't name any replacements.

Kennedy is the move with the most visible effect. Pride Of Detroit lists him as a wide receiver and returner, and BenchScout's data shows the returner role is where he has worked. He has played in all five games this season, with 10 returns for 249 yards, a long of 33 and no touchdowns. He also has seven fair catches. He has been on both kick and punt returns, including four kick returns for 99 yards at Buffalo and two punt returns for 33 yards in the win at Arizona on Oct. 11. Receiving work has been minimal. His only 2026 catches in our logs are two in the preseason.

White has played three games this year, with 10 tackles (four solo, six assisted), no sacks and no forced fumbles. Three games out of five suggests he has already missed time. The reporting doesn't say whether this injury is related to that, so we won't guess.

Bartch's 2026 record is thin. Our logs show only a preseason game at Indianapolis on Aug. 29, where he had a tackle and a fumble recovery. He has no regular-season appearances this year in our data. Placing him on IR may therefore matter more for depth than for the starting lineup, though the sources don't say how the line will be affected.

The Lions are 3-2 and second in the NFC North, two games behind the 5-0 Vikings. They are coming off a 45-21 win at Arizona after a 32-26 loss at Carolina. The four-game minimum means none of the three can return before late November. Detroit is back on the field Sunday, Oct. 25 against Green Bay, which is also 3-2.