Detroit Lions rookie offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath was placed on injured reserve by the team on Saturday as final roster cuts were being made.
Culbreath, 23, left practice last Monday because of an illness, and it was later reported that he could out indefinitely due to an undisclosed medical condition. Culbreath did not play in the Lions’ final preseason game on Thursday.
Going on injured reserve means Culbreath will miss the entire season for the Lions, joining fellow rookie Mikel LeShoure. It’s been a pretty rough go of it for Detroit’s 2011 draft class.
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Culbreath was Detroit’s seventh-round selection (209th overall) in this year’s draft, out of South Carolina State. He was named FCS third-team All-American, the third time he won such honors in his college career.
With injuries to several offensive lineman in camp, Culbreath received a good amount of reps and the hope was that he could provide depth at offensive tackle behind Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus. Obviously, that won’t be the case this season.