Lions Injury Updates: Don’t Panic Yet, But Pay Attention
The Detroit Lions wrapped up their third day of OTAs on Friday, and with local media finally allowed back in the building, we got our first real look at where things stand with three key players. Kerby Joseph, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch are all dealing with injuries, and none of them are practicing right now.
Before you start having flashbacks to every other Lions offseason that went sideways, take a breath. Dan Campbell made it pretty clear this is not panic time.
The Reality Check We All Need
All three players are in the building, which is the first good sign. They’re attending meetings and staying mentally engaged with the team. But they’re not participating in drills or practice activities, and Campbell was refreshingly honest about why that makes perfect sense right now.
“That’s not the priority, and it’s not worth all that anyway,” Campbell said about pushing these guys to practice. “The most important thing is continue to let them improve, rehab, all that, that’ll take precedence, right now. So they’re in meetings, you know, they’re getting the mental side of this, and just take it day to day.”
LaPorta is at least participating in walk-throughs, which suggests he’s further along in his recovery process. But the overarching message from Campbell is simple: we’re not doing anything right now that’s worth risking these guys’ health.
Why This Actually Makes Sense
Look, I get it. After decades of watching this franchise handle injuries like they were playing medical roulette, any news about key players not practicing sends us all into fight-or-flight mode. But this is different.
Campbell has shown he knows how to manage players and timelines. They’re not rushing anyone back for glorified workouts. These OTAs are essentially organized stretching sessions with some light drilling thrown in.
If we get to training camp in July and these guys still aren’t ready to go, then we can start asking harder questions. But right now? This is just smart roster management from a coaching staff that has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Are you buying Campbell’s patient approach with these injuries, or are you already preparing for the worst? Let me know in the comments.
Finally seeing a coaching staff that actually gets it. They’re not trying to prove anything in May, they’re building for September. That’s the difference between Campbell and some of the guys we’ve had before, and honestly it feels so refreshing.
I hear what you’re saying and I want to believe it, but three key guys out at the same time still makes me nervous even with the smart approach. Let’s just see how July looks before we call it genius, deal?
This is night and day compared to the mess we used to see. Back in the day this franchise would’ve had no clue how to handle this and we’d all be worried sick. Campbell and Holmes actually know what they’re doing, and I appreciate the honesty from Dan about it.
Taking the long view in the offseason is exactly what separates good teams from bad ones. OTAs don’t mean anything anyway, getting these guys healthy for camp and the season is all that matters. Campbell gets it.