Bawden's nine regular season appearances last year were his first since 2019. He mostly featured on special teams, though he did make it onto the field for 50-plus offensive snaps. Perhaps he caught the eye of coach Robert Saleh. Still only 26 (in June), Bawden could crack the 53-man roster. 

Bawden's season is over after he suffered a knee injury during this past Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. The second-year fullback averaged 12.7 offensive snaps per game this year, catching four of six targets for 17 yards. The Lions don't have another fullback on their active or practice rosters, so they may choose to fill the void via a free agent.

Bawden left the game late in the second quarter, and as evidenced by this news, the issue will keep him out of the remainder of the game. The team is without another healthy fullback on the roster, so it's unclear how they'll operate going forward.

Bawden popped up on the injury report with a foot injury Saturday, but as evidenced by this news, seems to be dealing with a new issue. The 2018 seventh-round pick is the team's only fullback on the roster, so it's unclear how the offense will approach things while Bawden is sidelined.