Lions concede, placing Joseph on IR; backfill roster spot by activating Mahogany
The Detroit Lions held out hope as long as they could, but after Kerby Joseph suffered a setback attempting to return from a long-lingering knee injury, the team opted to place the All-Pro safety on injured reserve Saturday afternoon.
Joseph has been dealing with a multifaceted issue, starting with missing time in training camp. The nagging discomfort was exasperated when he suffered a bone bruise to the same leg while blocking during an interception return in Week 4.
Joseph continued to play through the pain during the next two games, but had to briefly exit the team’s Week 6 matchup in Kansas City. The following week, the Lions shut him down, hoping things would calm with some time off. However, the pain persisted through the team’s bye. He eventually returned to practice in a limited capacity earlier this month, but suffered a setback with his recovery.
Joseph briefly talked with reporters after returning to practice, but was short and somber when responding to questions about his injury.
“My knee’s messed up,” Joseph said when asked if he could share specifics about what he was dealing with. He also implied that there were no plans for surgery this offseason because a procedure wouldn’t solve the issue.
The frustrating recovery and speculation that the knee injury could shorten his career caused Joseph to temporarily delete his social media. He reactivated his Instagram account on Friday, expressing appreciation for the support he’s received.
To backfill Joseph’s roster spot, the Lions activated guard Christian Mahogany off IR, putting him on track to return to the lineup less than two months after the lineman suffered a broken bone in his leg.
Mahogany was one of four offensive linemen who entered the week listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh. With the status of center Graham Glasgow (knee) and backup Trystan Colon (wrist) up in the air, the team temporarily elevated Kingsley Eguakun off the practice squad.
Detroit also elevated tight end Giovanni Ricci off the practice squad for a second straight week.
It does suck, but Kerb has 7+ months until training camp. Let's give him this time to research treatment options and do some healing. Don't jump to conclusions; he will tell us what he can and cannot do.
This sucks. He’s cooked.