Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

Brandon Pettigrew will miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season after the Detroit Lions placed him on the reserve physically unable to perform list today.

Pettigrew tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last December and had been targeting a Week 1 return.

With Pettigrew out, the Lions have no blocking tight end currently on their roster.

Eric Ebron remains out with an ankle injury, and Cole Wick, Orson Charles, Andrew Quarless and Adam Fuehne are expected to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills.

"It’s not completely over and we certainly aren’t talking about what we plan to do schematically or what we need in that regard," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said on Monday. "So we’ll see when it’s all said and done."

The Lions made three roster moves today to trim their roster to 75 players before the 4 p.m. deadline. Along with Pettigrew, they placed wide receiver Corey Fuller on reserve-PUP and waived cornerback Brandon McGee.

Both Fuller and Pettigrew are eligible to return after the Lions' Oct. 16 game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions have a three-week practice window to evaluate each player after that time, and then must decide whether to activate them or place them on injured reserve for the season.

Linebacker Jon Bostic, who was expected to miss at least two months after breaking his foot during a preseason practice against the Pittsburgh Steelers, remains on the Lions' active roster for now.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett

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