The Detroit Lions’ injury list got crowded fast this week, and the timing couldn’t be much worse. After Jimmy Rolder was put on injured reserve earlier in the week, Wednesday’s report included a long list of players whose practice status was in doubt.
Cade Mays (ankle), DJ Wonnum (concussion), Jack Campbell (neck), and D.J. Reed (hip) were all estimated not to practice.
The Lions also had a group listed as limited: Jacob Saylors (neck), Amon-Ra St. Brown (rib), Amen Ogbongbemiga (toe), Kerby Joseph (knee), and Brian Branch (concussion).
That leaves six defenders and nine total players with their status uncertain heading into the week. It’s still too early to lock any of them in as out beyond Kerby Joseph - Dan Campbell already said he won’t play this week - and Jack Campbell, but the Lions could easily be down a few bodies when they face the Dolphins.
So who has to pick up the slack?
The pressure starts in the middle of the defense. With Campbell and Rolder unavailable, Detroit’s linebacker room is going to be tested hard.
Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, and Trevor Nowaske look like the most likely starters, and that group has already shown plenty of inconsistency. They do have experience, which matters.
What they don’t have is Campbell’s steady playmaking or the kind of leadership he brings as the defense’s captain.
The help may need to come from the back end, too. Covering the middle of the field has been a problem, and that’s not exactly where this current linebacker group shines.
That makes this a big opportunity for the safeties to clean things up. Branch’s availability is still unclear, but Chuck Clark and Keith Abney need to be better.
Abney has had the expected rookie growing pains after moving from cornerback to safety midseason, while Clark has been more disappointing than anything else. He was supposed to stabilize the position with communication and discipline, but mental mistakes have continued to show up on the back end, even if not all of them are on him.
That matters even more with Malik Willis in the mix. He’s willing to attack deep and work the middle of the field, so Detroit needs its safeties to play a clean game and take some pressure off an already thin linebacker group.
In Other News...
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For Brad Holmes, the question is whether this is the kind of moment that nudges him toward a move he usually prefers not to make. The Lions have generally been cautious about big deadline swings, but the latest reporting points to linebacker help as a real possibility, with cornerback reinforcements also on the table as Detroit weighs how to steady the defense without its injured starter. [Read more 🡒]
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Campbell said he is optimistic about his recovery, and the tone of the message mattered just as much as the medical details. For a Lions defense that has leaned on his presence, any encouraging sign after such a frightening moment is welcome news, even if there is still a long road ahead before anyone knows what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Jameson Williams Turned A Costly Lions Mistake Into Something Fans Need To See
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What makes the video worth watching is the way it shows the human side of a player response in real time. Williams had to shake off the frustration of that penalty and stay ready for the next snap, and the Lions staff made sure he knew it. The payoff came later in the same drive, turning a rough moment into the kind of sequence that sticks with a team long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]