Detroit Lions Mailbag: Did the Lions know about Kerby Joseph’s knee issue and protect themselves in his contract?
Stop paying attention to internet doctors when it comes to the Lions
We’re fully in it at this point. The pre-draft process has begun, and free agency is right around the corner. Let’s answer some questions.
What free agent offensive tackles are out there?
This is not a very strong free-agent class for tackles. A lot of the guys out there are already in their 30s, and none of them are good enough to overlook that for the help of maybe one season. What I can say is that there are some solid Dan Skipper replacements out there.
Guys like Jonah Williams, Thayer Munford, or Theo Benedet could fit that role pretty well. Williams is the only guy you might consider as a starting right tackle, assuming the Lions move Penei Sewell to the left side. They should still draft their next guy over that idea, though.
Did the Lions know Kerby Joseph had a knee issue and protect themselves in his contract?
No, this is not a real thing. The Lions were unaware of a potential knee injury to Joseph. He never missed any time at Illinois due to a knee injury. Nothing came up at the combine, where each player undergoes medical testing. There was absolutely no previous indication that a knee injury would be a thing for Joseph.
In terms of his contract, there are no injury incentives in it. The only incentive he appears to have is an extra $ 250,000 if the Lions win a Super Bowl. He gets double that if they win two.
Maybe the thing Lions fans are thinking about here is that Joseph’s deal has very low dead-money hits after 2026, which does present an out. That’s actually not a Joseph-centric thing, though. The Lions have been working up the majority of their big contracts this way. The point is to give the guaranteed money up front so you can have lower cap hits.
Basically, the whole Kerby Joseph thing is being blown out of proportion, and it has a lot to do with irresponsible reporting from doctors who have never treated Joseph, and with Joseph being visibly upset that he wasn’t able to play this year. The truth is, we know next to nothing about the injury, and the only tiny bit of inside information we got was that it was not a career-altering injury.
How I evaluate draft prospects
For me, the stats are important. That and the analytic numbers are things I pay attention to. From there, I like to get a look at the film as well. I want to see more than a player doing what he’s good at. I want to see how he handles the bad stuff, too. I’m always looking for positional versatility. I like a guy who can do more than one thing.
I don’t want just my eyes to do the looking. I appreciate the thoughts of draft experts that I trust, and I want to know how the beat writer covering this player felt about him and what they saw.
Then, at the Combine, I want to talk to that player and get a sense of their personality. Here is where you can really get an idea of who fits philosophically with the Lions. Like talking to Sionve Vaki at the Combine, I walked away from the podium knowing he fit in just about every way necessary.
The Combine results do matter, but I’m also a guy who believes play speed and regular running-down-the-field speed can be two different things. I do like watching the agility testing because I think you can spot a little extra athleticism there than you can with straight-line speed.
Does Miles Frazier start in 2026?
Does Myles Frazier start next year
— worx.bsky.social (@worx.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Probably not. The Lions likely go find their center in free agency and keep Tate Ratledge at right guard. Then I think Christian Mahogany has really earned the left guard spot. Don’t focus too much on the way the season ended.
Mahogany probably came back too early. Before the injury, he was pretty good. Pro Football Focus had him graded out at 68.3 before the injury. His run blocking grade of 72.9 was the eighth highest in the league among starting guards.
Why are bald guys killing it?
God made the perfect head and then put hair on all the rest.
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