Lions enter Week 1 vs. Saints with clean bill of health
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Lions had their first practice of Week 1 on Tuesday, and they started the day with about as good of a health situation as you could hope for. Of the 52 players on their active roster and 16 players on the practice squad, every single one of them was on the field during Tuesday’s practice. Only practice squad tackle Devin Cochran was not participating in individual drills, as he was working with a trainer during that portion of practice.
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Media is not privy to any other part of practice now that the team is in regular season mode. And the Lions won’t submit an official injury report until Wednesday. So we won’t know any levels of participation until that drops, typically around 4 p.m. ET.
But even that everyone was out there for practice is fantastic news for the Lions. For one, it provides some reassurance that Detroit’s safety position is getting closer to full health. Christian Izien and Thomas Harper had missed some time at the end of training camp, but both had returned.
Obviously, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list and won’t be able to play for at least the first four games. Although a new NFL rule will allow both players to start practicing after two games, if either are ready.
On Tuesday, coach Dan Campbell confirmed that Joseph was back in the building after leaving for personal reasons during training camp. Campbell’s update on his health was brief.
“He’s here, he’s doing good, he’s ramping up,” Campbell said.
Also notable was the return to practice of rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder. The Lions’ fourth-round pick had missed the last month of practice after suffering a leg injury early in camp, but he’s back. It’ll be interesting to see whether Rolder will play early in the season or if Detroit will need to see him ramp up and get some reps before trusting him with a gameday role. In the meantime, the Lions have six other rostered linebackers, including veteran Joe Bachie, who recently re-signed to the 53-man roster.
While everyone on the Lions’ roster practiced on Tuesday, it’s important to also point out that there are still a handful of players who are not technically on the active roster, but remain part of the team on an injury list. That includes:
Season-ending IR
- LB Damone Clark
- WR Kendrick Law
- EDGE Payton Turner
IR, with possibility of a return
- C Cade Mays
- RB Isiah Pacheco
Other lists:
- OT Giovanni Manu — Reserve/Non-Football Injury
- S Brian Branch — Reserve/PUP
- S Kerby Joseph — Reserve/PUP
- G/C Mason Miller — Practice Squad/IR