This 3rd-round pick of the Lions from the 2021 draft traveled a rough road last year with multiple medical speed bumps. The rocky path crashed and burned the high hopes for Ifeatu Melifonwu, who was coming off an impactful second half of the 2023 season when he recorded five sacks and two interceptions.

Who can forget this climactic interception on Christmas Eve, 2023, to clinch the NFC North….

Ankle injury

The injuries for Melifonwu started early in 2024. He made an appearance in the second preseason game (August 17, 2024) but may have hurt himself during that game. It was not obvious on video when and how that injury occurred.

Listed afterwards with an ankle injury, there must have been hope that he’d be back soon as he was not placed on IR (injured reserve) immediately. His placement on IR was delayed until after Week 3, which was five weeks post-injury.

The IR delay suggests an injury uncertainty or an aggravation. This ankle issue continued to linger for months afterwards until his practice window finally opened on November 6, which was week 10.

Due to the extended absence as well as the uncertainty of return, there is suspicion that the ankle injury was more of an Achilles tendon issue. An Achilles tendonitis can have an uncertain recovery because neither the player nor the medical team wants to take any risk that it turns into a full Achilles rupture. This played out notably last year with Christian McCaffrey, who had a prolonged, delayed return from his bilateral Achilles tendonitis.

Left hand fracture

The setbacks of his season were not over as on November 19, just 13 days into his 21-day practice window for the ankle, he suffered a left hand fracture in practice. He was put back on IR for the second time.

First appearance of season

On December 15 (week 15), Melifonwu was finally able to make his first appearance of the season vs the Bills. Over the next four games, he played a high snap count on defense ranging from 60-80%. While he did not pick up an interception and had only a single sack, he served a valuable role as a versatile piece in the back-7.

Hamstring strain

In his fourth game which was the playoff game vs the Commanders, he strained his right hamstring in the 3rd quarter and did not return. The severity of the hamstring is unknown but is not suspected to be serious.

Outlook

The hamstring and hand fracture are unlikely to be an issue going forward. The mysterious ankle (maybe Achilles?) that took about three months to recover from could be something to watch.

Career path

Melifonwu finished out his 4-year rookie contract with the Lions and became an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He ended up signing a 1-year contract with the Dolphins that has $2.45 million guaranteed, per-game bonus up to $510,000, and incentives of up to $1 million. While he is young (age 26) and has proven to be an impactful player on the field, his reliability concerns likely created reluctance by the Lions and other teams to give him a long-term deal.

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Top 10 injury news of the Lions 2024 season No. 9: Ifeatu Melifonwu