Detroit Lions get 6th-round pick Christian Mahogany back in action

Christian Mahogany's first NFL practice went about as Dan Campbell expected.

"He looked like that was his first day to practice," Campbell said Wednesday.

The Detroit Lions opened Mahogany's three-week return-to-play window from the nonfootball injury list Tuesday and have 20 more days to decide whether to add Mahogany to the 53-man roster or keep him on NFI for the rest of the season.

A sixth-round pick out of Boston College, Mahogany is a depth piece for an offensive line that currently has all five starters healthy and a host of interior backups. Kayode Awosika started the Lions' Week 4 win over the Seattle Seahawks at left guard with center Frank Ragnow out with a partially torn pectoral muscle — regular left guard Graham Glasgow moved to center — and Michael Niese and Colby Sorsdal also are on the roster.

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Mahogany missed the start of training camp with a bout of mononucleosis, which prompted the Lions' decision to place him on NFI.

Campbell said there's no guarantee the Lions will add Mahogany to their 53-man roster once his return-to-play window expires. For now, he just wants to see steady improvement in practice from the rookie.

"Then we’ll assess it after that," he said. "I think if he shows that he’s just taking these steady steps it may be hard not to want to put him on the roster, but we’ll see. I can’t answer that just right now.”

Three-man weave

A quarter of the way through the season, the Lions seem to have found their No. 3 receiver.

Tim Patrick has at least one catch in each of his three games with the Lions and has played more snaps than every receiver but Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams since entering the rotation in the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"He gets better and better every week and one of the things I love about Tim Patrick, and I’d put Allen Robinson in the same boat," Campbell said, "is they act like, just in the way that they handle their business, that they’re still young players. And what I mean by that is they want, ‘Give me the coaching.' 'Well, how do you want it?' ... 'Just give me all the little details to this, tell me exactly how you want it.’ They’re very coachable."

Patrick and Robinson signed to the Lions' practice squad after August roster cuts and were promoted to the 53-man roster in September.

Patrick has played 43% of the Lions' offensive plays the past three games and has five catches for 72 yards on seven targets.

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Kalif Raymond, who opened the season as the Lions' No. 3 receiver, has played 20% of the Lions' offensive snaps the past three games with three catches for 27 yards. Raymond caught all of those passes in the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played just 11 offensive snaps in games against the Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.

Robinson has played just one offensive snap this season, and Isaiah Williams, who opened the year as the No. 4 receiver, has yet to see the field after missing time with an early injury.

"There’s no entitlement whatsoever," Campbell said. "These guys just come in and they work their rear off, and they want it. They help out across the board not only for us, but also on the scout team. But to your point with Tim, yeah, I feel like he’s gotten better and better every week. He brings a skillset that we need in that room that’s different and there’s a place for him here. I know he’s gaining the trust of us offensively but also (Jared) Goff."

Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline" at 7 p.m. Saturday at J. Gilligan's Bar & Grill in Arlington, Tx. Order your copy here.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions get 6th-round pick Christian Mahogany back in action