The Detroit Lions are about to get a major piece back on the practice field.
Head coach Dan Campbell said before practice on Wednesday that safety Kerby Joseph will return to practice this week, a notable step after a long stretch away from the team. Joseph has been working back from a degenerative knee condition, and Campbell said the former All-Pro has now reached the point where his injured knee is at the same strength as his healthy knee. He has passed all the markers needed to suit up, practice and resume football activities.
It has been a little over a year since Joseph injured his left knee against the Kansas City Chiefs, and his return has been building toward this moment. The former 2022 third-round pick has also been posting cryptic messages on social media lately, which has only fueled optimism that a comeback was close.
According to Sports Illustrated NFL Insider Albert Breer, Joseph’s return is looming for Kelvin Sheppard’s unit. With Detroit’s defense making clear strides, adding another defender to patrol the back end should help the Lions match up better with opposing offenses.
A big part of that defensive improvement has come from veteran defensive back D.J. Reed.
Reed struggled in coverage to begin the 2026 season and was part of the reason Sheppard’s group was giving up too many explosive plays through the secondary. But after spending even more time on film and taking better care of his body between games, the 29-year-old has started to see the payoff.
“Well look, he's always been aggressive now. I mean, he's never had any fear about fitting the run.
I mean, he's one of our best tacklers off the perimeter," Campbell told local reporters. "I thought he played his best game yesterday, but I think there was also merit for a number of those guys playing, letting them all kind of play, getting some reps and using them in different situations, different packages.
But that was good to see out of Reed, man. I thought he did some really, really good things for us.”
Reed signed a big free agent deal last season, though his first year in Detroit was interrupted by a significant hamstring injury.
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