Detroit Lions' Quintez Cephus out for season; Jamaal Williams (leg) practices

In early December, the Detroit Lions thought they would be adding a former fifth-round draft pick to their passing attack by the end of the season.

That never happened.

Wide receiver Quintez Cephus, who suffered a foot injury in an early October loss to the Seattle Seahawks, has been placed on season-ending injured reserve, marking the conclusion of his third NFL season.

"We'll put him down," coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday. "That'll be coming."

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Cephus, 24, was designated to return Dec. 7. The move kickstarted a 21-day window for the Lions make a decision: Add him to their 53-man roster or keep him on the injured reserve for the rest of the season.

The Lions chose the latter.

Cephus finishes the 2022 season with two receptions (on three targets) for 15 yards in four games. He has played 22 games in his NFL career, posting 37 catches for 568 yards and four touchdowns.

Better injury news

Running back Jamaal Williams, who leads the Lions with 14 rushing touchdowns, practiced Wednesday. He suffered an apparent leg injury in the third quarter of Saturday's loss to the Carolina Panthers before returning late in the fourth quarter.

Williams rushed seven times for 11 yards against the Panthers.

Both his touches and yards were season lows. In the Lions' Week 15 win over the New York Jets, three running backs received significant work: Williams (13 carries), D'Andre Swift (eight carries) and Justin Jackson (six carries).

Safety DeShon Elliott did not practice but remains day-to-day with a shoulder injury. He has played 13 games this season and has 91 tackles with one interception.

Others who did not practice: safety Kerby Joseph (back), center Frank Ragnow (foot), wide receiver Josh Reynolds (illness), offensive lineman Logan Stenberg (illness) and linebacker Josh Woods (biceps). Offensive lineman Kayode Awosika (ankle) was limited.

More on the Lions' running game

In Saturday's blowout loss, the Lions ran 17 times for 45 yards. They produced a season-worst 2.6 yards per carry, and in the past eight games, they have averaged 3.7 yards per carry. (The Lions averaged 5.2 yards per carry through their first seven games.)

Therefore, boosting the efficiency of the running game has been, and will continue to be, a key topic this week ahead of Sunday's must-win matchup against the Chicago Bears. Tight ends coach Tanner Engstrand reflected on the role his position group has played in the lackluster results on the ground.

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"There's been some inconsistencies in the tight end room," Engstrand said Wednesday. "We have to do our part. It's really focusing on the technique and fundamentals of what we're trying to do and seeing the big picture. What's the defense doing?"

He wants the tight ends to play faster while avoiding fundamental mistakes.

"We're all on the same page as an offense, as an (offensive line), as a running back room, tight end room, receivers, even the run game," Engstrand said. "As long as we all do our job on every single play, we're going to be just fine. We'll get this thing going."

Run defense is one of the Bears' weak spots, giving the Lions a chance to capitalize.

Dan Campbell's mindset vs. Bears

The Bears travel to Ford Field riding an eight-game losing streak. They have played a handful of close games along the way, including a 31-30 loss to the Lions on Nov. 13 at Soldier Field.

Campbell, in his second season with the Lions, compared the 2022 Bears to the 2021 Lions.

"Look, this team is very much like we were last year in this time of year," Campbell said, "and when you turn on the tape and watch them, they're playing now, and they play hard. They're giving themselves a chance. They are getting takeaways on defense. They have a legitimate threat at the quarterback position as a runner. We know that. We understand that. And this opponent is going to be ready to go."

To secure a wild card berth, the Lions — with a 24% chance to make the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight.com — must take down the Bears on Sunday and the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 to end the regular season. Even if that happens, the Lions still need help from other teams.

Right now, the Lions are focused on the Bears.

"You have to treat this no different than anybody else," Campbell said. "This is the Buffalo Bills as far as we're concerned. It's going to come down to the wire. It could come down to the very end, the last two minutes of the game, so I think we just got to play clean football. We got to play hard. We got to play smart."

The biggest threat is Bears quarterback Justin Fields. He ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions in Week 10, along with completing 12 of 20 passes for 167 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Fields leads all NFL quarterbacks with 1,011 rushing yards this season.

"If they're going to do anything over there, particularly offensively, they're going to have to earn it," Campbell said. "They gotta go all the way down the field. No explosives. You do that, then you find a way to get a takeaway, which we've kind of done over the last few weeks, and we get back to what we do."

Roster notes

The New York Giants signed linebacker Jarrad Davis off the Lions practice squad on Wednesday.

In his second stint with the Lions, Davis, the 2017 first-round draft pick, re-signed with the team this offseason but did not make the roster out of training camp. He was later brought back to the practice squad and has played in two games this season.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions WR Quintez Cephus out for season on injured reserve