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The Lions reportedly will re-sign tight end Kellen Davis, which means Joseph Fauria is likely to be shelved with an ankle injury.

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions plan to re-sign tight end Kellen Davis, according to ProFootballTalk. And that's probably not good news for Joseph Fauria.

Detroit's second-year tight end re-injured his left ankle in Sunday's 34-17 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And though he was able to play through the pain, including catching a 10-yard touchdown pass, some in the organization feared the injury could be significant.

Fauria cut off his postgame interviews because of the pain, was later seen in a boot and was expected to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage. It looks like those results were not optimistic.

"We'll kind of see what's going to happen with him," coach Jim Caldwell said Monday. "There's always a few guys after a ballgame who are a little worse for wear, but we'll see how he is after the next couple of days or so."

Davis already played in three games for the Lions this season, when Fauria, Eric Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew were all dealing with injuries. But he was released as that trio returned to health.

He did not record a catch.

Ebron and Pettigrew remain on the roster, which means there would be no need for Davis unless Fauria was expected to miss time. It's just the latest twist in a difficult sophomore season for the 6-foot-7 red-zone threat.

Fauria hauled in seven touchdown catches last season, second on the team, but has just six catches overall this year, with 74 yards and one touchdown. He missed six games with the original ankle injury, and it looks like he's headed for some more time on the bench.

Detroit (9-4) hosts the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, then finishes the regular season on the road against Chicago and Green Bay.

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