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Still No Clarity On When Fairley Will Return

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) - Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell had little to offer Friday regarding the status of defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who suffered a knee injury in the London game.

"He's still in the evaluation process," Caldwell said. "He's had a couple evaluations, and the doctors have stressed that rest and hopefully some healing will give them a little clearer picture of what should be done."

Caldwell added that the Lions have not been told Fairley will need surgery.

Picking up the slack in Fairley's absence will be C.J. Mosley, who did not play in London because he received a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. Mosley, however, is a 10-year veteran, and he took first-team repetitions during the preseason while Fairley was demoted temporarily, so the Lions have confidence in his ability to play in place of Fairley.

"Nick's a great talent, but C.J.'s been playing all along for us," Caldwell said. "He's been in the rotation, started earlier this season, but nevertheless, I think he'll be fine, and I think our rotation with the guys inside, Caraun Reid's going to have to play a little bit more. Those guys, I think, do a great job getting ready for the ball game, and they'll be up for the task."

Following Fairley's injury, the Lions brought back Andre Fluellen, who spent four of the last five seasons with Detroit and was cut during training camp this year. Caldwell said Fluellen just adds to the depth the Lions have on the defensive line.

"Flu is another one of those guys who is very, very versatile," Caldwell said. "He hasn't missed a beat. He really came into practice and did extremely well, so we're certainly happy to be able to get him."

The Lions play the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Both teams are on three-game win streaks.

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