Detroit Lions

Lions TE Brandon Pettigrew tears ACL again, out for season

Published Dec. 14, 2015 1:05 p.m. ET

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Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew left Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams with a knee injury and did not return. On Monday, head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed that Pettigrew's injury was, in fact, a torn ACL, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

This is the second time a torn ACL has cut a season short for Pettigrew since joining the Lions. He suffered the same injury in 2009 and missed the final five games of his rookie season. Both tears occurred in his left knee, according to Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman.

Pettigrew, 30, was a first-round pick out of Oklahoma State in the 2009 NFL Draft. He bounced back from his last ACL injury to eclipse 700 receiving yards in 2010 and 2011. His receiving statistics steadily declined over the next two seasons, then plummeted in 2013.

Since drafting Eric Ebron with the 10th-overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Lions have used Pettigrew as a pass-catcher sparingly. He will be missed most for his blocking skills, since Ebron is more of a finesse tight end than an in-line blocker.

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