Lions add veteran safety depth; Mahogany expected to return to practice this week

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Allen Park — The Detroit Lions entered the season with what most viewed as the best safety tandem in the league. With four games remaining in the regular season, they’re in flux at the position.

There’s continued uncertainty surrounding Kerby Joseph’s knee after the All-Pro missed a seventh consecutive game last week. Then, last Thursday against the Cowboys, the team lost Thomas Harper and Brian Branch to injury.

Branch, a Pro Bowler a year ago, is done for the year with a torn Achilles.

“Well, anytime you lose somebody like BB, it’s going to hurt,” Lions coach Dan Campbell acknowledged on Monday. “He’s a productive player. He’s an outstanding football player. He’s a team guy, he’s a great locker room guy, teammates love him, so you lose all of that, you know, and that hurts.”

As for Harper, he remains in concussion protocol after exiting in the first quarter against the Cowboys. Campbell said there haven’t been any setbacks with the defender’s recovery over the weekend, but there might not be enough time between now and Sunday’s game with the Rams for Harper to get medically cleared.

The current plan at safety starts with veteran Avonte Maddox, who more than doubled his defensive snap count for the season against the Cowboys, stepping in for Harper.

“We thought he did a hell of a job,” Campbell said. “He really did. He played his tail off, which is why he’s here, because he’s a football guy. He’s got versatility — a nickel that plays safety — and he put out a lot of fires back there for us, made quite a few plays. That’s encouraging.”

Detroit’s other options coming into Monday included special teams standout Daniel Thomas, practice squaders Erick Hallett and Loren Strickland. The team also added veteran Damontae Kazee to the mix.

Kazee, 32, was available after reaching a mutual agreement to get out of his contract with the Cleveland Browns last month. The former fifth-round pick, who led the NFL with seven interceptions in 2018, has appeared in 111 games and made 63 starts during his nine-year career.

Kazee will start on Detroit’s practice squad while they assess his ability to contribute quickly. Prior to his short stint with the Browns, he spent the previous three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he intercepted five passes in 38 appearances.

Lineman on the way back

Five weeks after breaking a bone in his leg, guard Christian Mahogany is tracking toward returning to practice this week. Within that news, Campbell did temper expectations about the lineman’s return to game action.

“We’ll probably try to get him some work this week,” Campbell said. “A lot of it’s going to be what does he look like this week. And honestly, I don’t expect a lot, right now, this week. But I do think he’s starting to feel good enough to work him into practice.”

Kayode Awosika started the first four games at left guard in place of Mahogany, but a mid-week foot injury sidelined Awosika against the Cowboys. That left the Lions to turn to a rotation of veteran Trystan Colon and rookie Miles Frazier, who made his debut in the contest.

Frazier’s performance was up-and-down while playing four series, two in each half, but the Lions scored 17 points on the possessions. Asked if he showed enough to potentially get a start this week against the Los Angeles Rams, Campbell was hesitant.

“I can’t say that,” Campbell said. “Now, that being said, every rep he gets is only going to help him. Those are real reps against real dudes, real opponents, and that’s the most significant reps he’s had. It’s not even close.

“You do the best you can in practice, and he’s got some good stuff with (Alim McNeill) Mac and those guys. But we’re talking about maybe three weeks of practice, maybe 100 reps, if he’s lucky. That being said, do I want to play him? I’d love to play him some more.”