Quick hitters: Izien could miss season-opener, Nowaski avoids more serious knee injury

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Allen Park — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell wasn’t interested in offering specifics, but defensive back and potential starting nickel corner Christian Izien is dealing with an injury that could sideline him through the season opener against New Orleans next month.

“Yeah, Izzy, it'll probably be a little bit here,” Campbell said. “I don't know if we'll have him for the opener or not. But we'll have him (this season). If it's not (the opener), we'll get him here early in the season, at some point.”

Izien, who signed with the Lions as a free agent this offseason, has lined up at a number of spots in the secondary since joining the club. Initially, he worked primarily at safety, but more recently he’s been splitting his time between there and nickel, where the team is still searching for a starting solution.

Izien got the first reps at that spot in the team’s recent preseason game at Washington, but left after five snaps. He was then noticeably absent from Tuesday’s practice, the first since the exhibition contest.

Campbell was asked what Izien was dealing with, but the coach didn’t want to provide additional details.

“He's got an injury,” Campbell deadpanned.

Regarding Nowaske, he left Tuesday’s practice in the opening minutes, after coming up limping during individual drills. After a lengthy assessment of his knee by the training staff, he headed back inside the team’s facility.

Additional testing has offered an optimistic outlook for the fourth-year linebacker.

“We think it is just a little strain or a sprain,”

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State, Nowaske has developed into one of the team’s top special teams performers, logging nearly 600 snaps with those units the past two years.