Before last year’s season opener, the Detroit Lions placed Halapoulivaati Vaitai on injured reserve with a back injury which required surgery. He missed the entire season.
The offensive lineman underwent back surgery in September and at this week’s league meetings, Lions general manager Brad Holmes spoke about Vaitai’s recovery.
Per Benjamin Raven of MLive.com:
“He’s in a good place,” Holmes said. “We actually got some recent re-reports back that he’s in a really good place. And we felt confident about doing the deal and glad to have him back. Yeah, and Vaitai, man, he’s a good player. He’s a starting-level guard who fits what we’re about along the offensive line. But obviously, there are question marks or were question marks about his health and all of that. To get Glasgow in the fold — and Glasgow is a guy that’s got positional versatility, as well. Obviously, we all know about his ability at guard, but the stuff that he did at center on tape last year was really exciting. It’s good to have that competition, and it should be good.”
Last week, Vaitai agreed to a pay cut to stay with the team. With the move, the Lions lowered Vaitai’s cap charge to $5.05 million this season, according to OverTheCap.com, freeing up nearly $7 million in cap room.
The right guard signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Lions before the 2020 season. The 29-year old was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent four years with the Eagles and was a part of the Super Bowl LII championship team.
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Vaitai is no stranger to injury. In the 2020, he missed six games for a foot injury, one for a brain injury and one for COVID-19. He also suffered an MCL sprain while he was with the Eagles in 2016.
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Bridget Hyland may be reached at bhyland@njadvancemedia.com
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