Lions Kevin Zeitler Ruled Out vs. Vikings

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was not confident veteran offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler would play against Minnesota in Week 7.

The Lions have ruled out Zeitler this week, along with new defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas.

This week, Detroit begins life without Aidan Hutchinson on Sunday, as the defender will be out for the remainder of the 2024 season.

As a result, the Lions will have to rely on their depth pieces on the defensive line for the time being. While there is concern about who will provide the level of production that Hutchinson offered, there are pieces within the defense that the coaching staff is confident in.

The coaching staff has plenty of trust in each other as well as the players within their respective position groups. For linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard, Sunday’s game is an opportunity for that trust to be on full display.

“It’s complete trust. It’s literally like, ‘I’ll leave my kids with you’ trust.’ That’s the ultimate trust, if I’ll leave my kids with you, we’re locked in,” Sheppard said on FOX-2 Game Day Live. “I’m telling you, like A.G., I’ve never been around a more resilient guy. You could tell A.G. we’ve got to play with Dearborn High, and he’ll say, ‘We’re all good.’ That’s his favorite word, ‘We’re all good.’ Like, ‘A.G., I don’t know if we’re all good.’ But I’m like, ‘I trust you, let’s go.'”

With Hutchinson out, there are new opportunities for players such as SAM linebacker Trevor Nowaske and practice squad call-up Isaac Ukwu. The Lions also signed defensive end Pat O’Connor to the active roster on Saturday.

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Though Hutchinson is sidelined, the standard on the defense will not change.

“We’re gonna coach it like we’re out there with 10, 11 Aidan Hutchinsons,” Sheppard said. “The drop off doesn’t, if anything it heightens now. I’m just so excited for the Isaac Ukwus of the world, the Trevor Nowaskes of the world. The Mitch Agudes of the world. These names that people probably don’t know or have heard of, these guys are about to get an opportunity that they didn’t fall into but have actually earned.”

That confidence extends to the players. Alim McNeill, who recently signed a four-year extension to remain with the Lions, believes that the talent on the defensive line could lend itself to a by-committee approach to replacing Hutchinson.

“I kind of feel like everybody’s about to come out and show who they really are. Show who they are as a pass rusher and as a run defender,” McNeill said. “That’s the challenge that we’ve accepted, being able to step up and show that we can all get it done. With Hutch being out, obviously everybody knows 97 and how he plays and who he is. But we have to step up, the game is Sunday so we have to step up and do what we need to do. I think everybody’s gonna be able to show a little bit of who they are.”

Here is a complete list of the Lions’ inactives for Sunday’s game against the Vikings.