Detroit Lions are about to get a major influx of players back from injury, and the timing could not be better
The Detroit Lions are about to get a MAJOR influx of players back from injury. Multiple starters and key contributors are expected back soon, with two of Detroit’s biggest defensive pieces potentially not far behind. And the timing couldn’t be much better.
The Detroit Lions are about to get a wave of players returning from injury this week, and the timing is massive for a team trying to build chemistry heading into the regular season. Starting cornerback D.J. Reed, edge rusher Derrick Moore, center/guard Juice Scruggs, and running back Sione Vaki are all expected back soon, with the possibility that safety Brian Branch and safety Kerby Joseph could follow shortly after.
D.J. Reed’s return shores up the secondary
For starters, D.J. Reed, the CB1 of this team, is coming back from a groin injury. We saw him last week running on the side of the field with trainers, so it never really felt like it was going to be a long-term thing. He missed a week, and now he’s set to return. It did give some other cornerbacks a week to shine, which is cool, but getting Reed back out there alongside Rock Yassine, who at this point is clearly going to be the CB2, helps the Lions’ secondary in a big way.
Derrick Moore could see preseason action
The Lions are also getting Derrick Moore back. Moore had a groin injury as well and has been out a little longer than Reed. The second-round pick needs reps, and there’s a real chance he could play in an upcoming preseason game. If he’s back at practice Sunday and gets work in Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you might see him out there against Washington. It’s certainly a possibility.
Juice Scruggs returns to a position battle
Juice Scruggs is coming back on Saturday. He’s going to be fighting for the starting center job and/or the starting left guard job. Scruggs had a soft tissue injury that wasn’t anything serious, according to Lions coach Dan Campbell. I’m still leaning towards center for Scruggs because I feel like Detroit has things figured out with Christian Mahogany at left guard. We’ll see.
Sione Vaki set to enter a wide-open competition
Sione Vaki, who broke his nose, is going to work his way back into practice soon. After Jacob Saylor had a strong game Thursday night, the Lions are going to have some serious questions about the running back competition once Vaki returns and shows what he can do. There are fewer guys competing now because Kye Robichaux has a broken bone in his foot. Campbell did say Saylors has a minor ankle injury, but nothing serious. We don’t know exactly what day Vaki is coming back, but once he does, he’s probably going to want to hit the ground running.
There was no update on Ennis Rakestraw’s injury other than it was a small bruise, a contusion-type thing. Campbell said it wasn’t anything serious.
The big ones: Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph could possibly return soon
Now we wait for the big one. If you go back to the beginning of training camp, Campbell said something to the effect of the Lions potentially getting Branch and Joseph back into practice around mid-August to late August. We are now at mid-August, and by the end of this week we’ll be at late August. It might be right around the corner that both Branch and Joseph are back. No one has said that yet. Campbell hasn’t given the green light, but it’s worth thinking about at this point. It could happen soon.
Overall, some really good injury news for Detroit. This was a strong update on a Saturday, especially after people were so in the dark about the Cade Mays situation and believed the sky had fallen. Kind of looks like it hasn’t. So here we go.
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