The Detroit Lions came out of their 17-13 preseason win over the Washington Commanders with one major concern and a few more injury situations to monitor.
Cedrick Wilson Jr. went down with a left knee injury about eight minutes into the game on the Lions’ third offensive series. The play came on an incomplete pass to Tom Kennedy, and Wilson had already stacked two catches for 4 and 17 yards before he got hurt Saturday, Aug.
- After the play, he stayed down briefly, reached for the back of his leg and then limped off.
After the game, Dan Campbell didn’t hide his concern.
"I’m worried on that one," Campbell said. "I love Wilson, man.
He just, he’s a smart, crafty football player, gets it. Can play all the spots at receiver, special teams and we don’t know.
We’re getting that knee looked at. We don’t know, but we’ll leave it at that."
Wilson, 30, had been the most experienced veteran competing for a depth role in Detroit’s receiver group. The injury leaves that battle even more unsettled, especially with other players making their cases on Saturday.
Lucky Jackson was the only other Lions receiver with multiple catches, while Tay Martin made his presence felt in different ways. He delivered a key block that helped spring Josh Dobbs for a 50-yard touchdown run, and he also drew an illegal blocking penalty on the Commanders while covering a kickoff on special teams.
"That room is hard," Campbell said. "That room is very difficult right now because there are guys that are making plays."
Campbell also gave updates on two other injury situations. Running back Jabari Small is in concussion protocol after rushing three times for 16 yards against Washington.
Sione Vaki didn’t play because of a back spasm. He had just returned to practice last week after breaking his nose when he took an inadvertent hand through the facemask on the first padded practice of camp. Campbell said the issue flared up the day before the game.
"He woke up yesterday and he had something, kind of a knot in his back here that was - it’s not major but it’s enough to where it’s one of those bad spasms to where we were hoping we could get it out of there, give him some stuff and hopefully loosen it out and just we ran out of time with it," Campbell said. "Now the good news, we would have loved to have seen him.
I told him that. He wanted to play, but he also, man, he got some really good work come off a broke nose, a punched out eye.
And so I’m like, I think we’re good Vaki for a little bit here. And so we’ll get this to calm down, he’ll be ready to practice this week, I would anticipate, so I think we’ll be OK there."
Offensive lineman Michael Niese was also on crutches in the locker room after the game. He injured his leg while blocking downfield on a screen play in the second half.
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