"Erik Coleman never won the starting safety job many expected when he signed with the Lions before the lockout, but that doesn't mean the Lions won't miss him.

Coleman was placed on injured reserve Thursday, ending his season prematurely with what coach Jim Schwartz called "a pretty significant high-ankle sprain" and further depleting their depth at an already-thin position.

"We haven't had a bunch of injuries this year, but that's one position we've had some injury situations," Schwartz said. "You guys see him around, it's almost two weeks later, he's still not even off crutches. It was going to be awhile, and even then we don't know how long it was going to be to get him on the field, so it just made sense to make that move.""