The Lions are getting closer to having Kerby Joseph back, and that shouldn’t automatically squeeze Keith Abney out of the picture.
On Wednesday, Dan Campbell said Joseph’s 21-day activation window would be opened, and the safety was listed as a limited participant on the practice report. Detroit usually eases players back in after major injuries, so there’s a good chance the Lions use the full window to make sure Joseph is ready for the rest of the season.
Still, if he keeps trending the right way with his knee, Joseph will play again. He last appeared in Week 6 last season, and his return will be a welcome one for Detroit’s defense.
What makes this situation interesting is that Abney has already carved out a real role while the Lions waited. In Week 5, the rookie cornerback got his first defensive snaps since Week 1 and was shifted into a new assignment, logging 51 snaps at free safety and eight more as a box defender. Then in Week 7, after Brian Branch came back following the Week 6 bye, Abney’s workload dipped, but he still saw action on 30 snaps at free safety and four in the box.
That gives the Lions something to work with once Joseph is back. Free safety will belong to Joseph again, but his snaps may be managed at first, which opens a window for Abney to stay involved.
The bigger issue is what Abney looks like once Joseph is fully back up to speed. He isn’t built like a classic outside corner, though there may still be some room for him there.
More likely, his best fit is as a hybrid defender. In the season opener, before he somehow went three straight games without a defensive snap, Abney played all 25 of his reps in the slot.
That setup may be where he fits best long term. Like Branch, Abney can handle a slot corner-safety mix, and there’s no reason Joseph’s return has to push him completely out of the defense.
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For the Lions, the challenge is less about abandoning the run than making it work early enough to shape the rest of the game. Better blocking up front would help Detroit stay on schedule, force the Vikings to respect the line of scrimmage and create cleaner looks for the passing attack. If the run game gets bottled up again, the Lions could find themselves asking their offense to win in the most difficult way against a defense built to make that uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]