The Detroit Lions placed defensive lineman John Cominsky on injured reserve Thursday, but general manager Brad Holmes said he expects Cominsky to return late in the season and be part of a playoff run.

"I don’t have a crystal ball in terms of when it will be, but we’ve had enough conversations that we feel good and we know the player well enough how he’s going to attack his rehab that we feel good that hopefully later in the season, that we’ll have him really probably right when we need him," Holmes said.

Cominsky has not practiced since tearing his MCL in a July training camp practice, but the Lions kept him on their roster at Tuesday's cut to 53 players.

In a new NFL rule, teams were allowed to place two players on IR at Tuesday's roster deadline they could designate for return this season. The Lions used those spots on cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral) and defensive tackle Brodric Martin (knee).

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Teams can designate a total of eight players to return from IR during the season, and Holmes said Cominsky will have that designation.

"It is for return," he said.

The Lions also cut safety C.J. Moore from the practice squad Thursday, and signed receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to the practice squad. They have one open spot on both the 53-man roster and practice squad, though Holmes said he hopes to add a veteran kicker to the practice squad in the coming days.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions DL John Cominsky heads to IR, but expected back