Lions injury report: Melifonwu returns to practice, still limited

An already abbreviated Detroit Lions injury list looked a bit better on Thursday. One of two players who was limited in Wednesday’s practice was back out and participating in the portion of practice open to the media.

Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was back for the open part, an indication he is trending in the right direction to play against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. Melifonwu has been dealing with an ankle injury since the second preseason game. He was still officially designated as limited, however.

Defensive tackle DJ Reader was spotted working off to the side with trainers in the open portion of practice. Reader was activated off the PUP list last week and remains on limited participant status.

Rookie safety Loren Strickland remains sidelined with a thumb injury. He also missed practice on Wednesday.