After battling a foot injury for the duration of the season, the Detroit Lions finally acknowledged offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai needed to be shut down to get right.
The team placed him on injured reserve Wednesday, signing wide receiver Mohamed Sanu off the practice squad to fill the roster spot.
Vaitai, one of the team's top free-agent targets this offseason, was supposed to replace Rick Wagner at right tackle. But after exiting the field multiple times during training camp with injuries, Vaitai cropped up on the season's initial practice report with the foot issue that's continued to plague him all year.