Allen Park — Dan Campbell provided injury updates on several players on Friday. Here’s what the Detroit Lions coach had to say.
Regarding safety Kerby Joseph, who returned to practice this week more than a year after he last appeared in an NFL game, Campbell continued to express cautious optimism about the defender’s early progression.
“Yeah, he’s done a good job, and it’s good so far now,” Campbell said. “There again, we haven’t taken any team reps. It’s all been individual and group, but he’s handled that well. And that was kind of the point. We just kind of progress him slowly here, work him in.
“We get him a little bit more today of that type of work,” Campbell said. “Plus, we surplus, after the fact. We still do some rehabilitation, get him some of those miles that he’s not getting right now that he normally gets, the running, the volume. Then, next week, we’ll have him in real practice.”
Joseph added a compression sleeve to his left leg on Thursday, after not having one on Wednesday. Campbell downplayed the addition.
“Any way you can reduce any swelling that could be, or minimize it, you’re always going to do that with anything, elbow, shoulder, people coming off of injuries,” Campbell said. “And like I say, we’re in the infant stages of this. It’s been positive to this date. So, it’s the best way to say it.”
For what it’s worth, Joseph wasn’t on the practice field during the brief window open to the media on Friday. There could be any number of practical reasons for that, including a planned day off as part of the re-acclimation process — despite Campbell’s earlier comments.
When Brian Branch and Cade Mays recently returned to practice, the team worked on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, providing both players a day off between their first and second sessions.
Speaking of Branch, the Lions were conservative with him during the first half of his debut, regularly rotating him off the field. The team loosened the reins at the half, permitting him to play every defensive snap.
Campbell said that was indicative of where Branch is going forward.
“We feel like he's in a good place and that's a credit to him,” Campbell said. “It's a credit to (Director of Player Health and Performance) Brett Fischer and his staff and (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Josh Schuler, those guys really getting him physically ready. So that was the big one. To be able to get real intense volume, you're talking about 38, 40 reps, 45, whatever that was, was perfect. So now he's ready. So yes, there are no limitations on him going into this game (against Minnesota).”
With Branch, Mays and Joseph back in the fold, the list of players not practicing due to injury has been steadily shrinking. Near the top of that list is running back Isiah Pacheco, who has been out since training camp with a back injury that required surgery.
Early reports suggested he’d miss up to three months, but could return later this season. Campbell was asked if that’s still in the cards.
“He's progressing well,” Campbell said. “Now yeah, I do think there's a chance we could get him back in late December, mid-December, maybe. There's a chance here. I mean, he's put a tremendous amount of work in and he's doing pretty good.
“…Pacheco, when you go back there (in the training room), he's ready to go,” Campbell said. “And it's just a matter of letting it continue to heal, but he's doing a good job.”
In Pacheco’s absence, Sione Vaki has stepped into the team’s No. 2 backfield role. He’s averaging around 16 snaps per game and has logged 16 carries and four receptions for 108 yards from scrimmage.
Campbell also noted that linebacker Devin White (forearm) and safety Thomas Harper (high ankle sprain) are making encouraging progress toward returning to action.
Harper, in particular, is close.
“He's doing pretty good,” Campbell said. “He's really, if we needed him, or on call, I think he's close to being ready to go.”
With Branch’s recent return, and rookie Keith Abney shifting to safety in recent weeks, the Lions don’t have as pressing a need at the position as they previously did. Campbell said that allows the team to be conservative with starting Harper’s 21-day acclimation clock.
Depth building