The Detroit Lions are heading into 2026 with a lot of moving pieces, and Kerby Joseph sits right near the center of it all.
Joseph is one of the players the Lions are counting on to come back strong after an injury-marred stretch, but his situation carries more weight than most. He started last season with a knee issue, then missed eight straight games before landing on injured reserve late in December. That kind of absence naturally raised questions about where he stands now and how ready he’ll be when the season gets rolling.
It also puts him under a different kind of spotlight. After signing a lucrative long-term extension last year, Joseph is now in the kind of season where availability and performance matter just as much as reputation. The Lions need him healthy, productive and back to being the force he was in the back end of their defense.
That’s why The Athletic’s list of players with the most riding on the upcoming season included him. Colton Pouncy singled out Joseph for Detroit, pointing to the injury history, the contract and the importance of his role.
“Joseph signed a four-year, $86 million contract extension in April 2025, on the heels of an All-Pro season. But after missing 11 games with a knee injury - one that Dan Campbell said the organization won’t have an update on until training camp - there are reasons to be concerned about the investment.
"If the knee injury is indeed chronic in nature, it could force the Lions to explore their options after 2026. The Lions would love nothing more than for Joseph to return to form, but it makes the upcoming season a crucial one for the ballhawking safety."
Detroit did add some insurance this offseason, bringing in Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox while also appearing ready to use Christian Izien. That gives the Lions some depth if Joseph isn’t fully ready. Still, there’s no question they’d prefer to have Joseph back in the starting role, doing what he’s done before and giving the defense the kind of playmaking it’s been built around.
The team doesn’t seem interested in rushing him, though. The goal is to get him right, not just get him back. He’s making progress this offseason, but the coaching staff appears willing to take the patient route if that’s what it takes to keep him effective over the long haul.
Jim O'Neil, Detroit's safeties coach, made it clear that Joseph still needs real work in practice to get back to that level.
"Maybe not every day, but you need to practice," O'Neil stated. "You can't take a year off of football and expect to go play at an All-Pro level.
That's everybody at every position. You need to practice to get the timing to have the chemistry.
We got a lot of new guys, so absolutely [Joseph] needs to practice. Does he need to do it every day?
Probably not."
For O'Neil, the key is finding the right balance. Joseph doesn’t necessarily need to be out there every single day, but he does need to be on the field enough to rebuild timing and chemistry with a group that has plenty of new faces around him.
And from the coach’s perspective, Joseph is in a good place as the Lions work through that plan.
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