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Dan Campbell said he was worried about Cedrick Wilson Jr. The Detroit Lions apparently had good reason to be. Detroit announced four roster moves Monday, placing Wilson and running back Raheem Blackshear on Reserve/Injured while signing running back Roydell Williams and defensive back Jason Taylor II. For Wilson, the move confirms that the knee injury he suffered Saturday against the Washington Commanders was considerably more than a minor preseason setback. For the rest of Detroit’s roster, it changes two competitions with less than a week remaining before final cuts. Campbell’s Concern About Wilson Was Justified Wilson injured his knee during Detroit’s 17-13 preseason victory over Washington and did not return. Campbell did not attempt to hide his concern afterward. “I don’t know for sure, but I’m worried,” Campbell said. “I love Wilson, man.” Detroit now has its answer. Wilson landed on Reserve/Injured just three months after the Lions signed the veteran receiver to compete for a depth role. His path to the roster had been interesting because Wilson offered something many of Detroit’s younger receivers did not: legitimate NFL experience combined with the ability to contribute on special teams. He entered the league in 2018 and has 126 career receptions for 1,524 yards and 12 touchdowns. None of that guarantees a fifth receiver job, but it gave Detroit another dependable option behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Greg Dortch. Now that option is gone. And this is where Monday’s transaction becomes more interesting than the usual late-August roster shuffle. Tay Martin, Tom Kennedy, Dominic Lovett, Tarik Black and Lucky Jackson no longer have to beat Wilson for a spot. One chair just opened. Martin already appeared to be moving toward the front of that competition after receiving significant offensive and special-teams work against Washington. Wilson’s move to Reserve/Injured doesn’t hand Martin a roster spot, but it removes one of the more experienced players standing between him and the 53. Our earlier roster projection had Wilson outside the initial 53, but that was supposed to be settled on the field. The injury settled it first. Lions Continue Cycling Through Running Backs Blackshear’s move is different because Detroit had not publicly disclosed a significant injury before Monday’s announcement. The Lions signed Blackshear earlier this month while their running back room was already dealing with injuries. He brought NFL experience and return ability after spending three seasons with Carolina. His stay on the active roster lasted less than three weeks. That means Detroit is back where it has spent much of August: finding another healthy running back. Enter Roydell Williams. The rookie reportedly agreed to join Detroit earlier Monday after being waived by Indianapolis. Williams played four seasons at Alabama before finishing his college career at Florida State. The Colts had signed him as an undrafted free agent before releasing him last week. Detroit already went through a similar maneuver when it added Trayveon Williams after injuries reshaped the running back room. There is a pattern here. Sione Vaki has dealt with multiple issues during camp. Isiah Pacheco suffered an MCL injury. Jabari Small entered concussion protocol Saturday. Jacob Saylors has also missed time. And now Blackshear is on Reserve/Injured. At some point, Brad Holmes may want to stop learning the names of available running backs. Roydell Williams gets the next opportunity. Jason Taylor II Adds Another Option to Detroit’s Secondary The other addition is Taylor, a former Oklahoma State safety selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Taylor appeared in eight NFL games for Los Angeles and later spent time with Arizona and Kansas City. He played for the Orlando Storm in the UFL this season, recording 15 tackles and a forced fumble in five regular-season games. (UFL) His college résumé was considerably more decorated. Taylor earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022 after recording 99 tackles and six interceptions for Oklahoma State. The Rams selected him No. 234 overall the following spring. That does not suddenly make Taylor a favorite to survive cutdown day. It does make him worth evaluating. Detroit’s secondary still has moving pieces, and Taylor brings NFL experience, special-teams potential and enough production from his UFL season to warrant a late look. Six days before roster cuts, that is sometimes all a player needs. Two Moves Matter More Than the Other Two The signings of Roydell Williams and Taylor will understandably attract attention because they are the new names. The more consequential part of Monday’s announcement is who disappeared from the competition. Wilson had a legitimate chance to become Detroit’s fifth receiver. Blackshear was part of a running back battle that had already been reshuffled multiple times by injury. Neither will get to finish the race. That creates opportunities elsewhere. Martin’s path becomes cleaner. The running back snaps get redistributed again. Two newcomers get one final week to convince the Lions they deserve to stick around in some form. August roster moves rarely change what happens at the top of an NFL depth chart. These four don’t. But at the bottom of Detroit’s roster, where the difference between making the team and looking for another job can come down to one special-teams snap, Monday changed quite a bit.