Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell had plenty of injury questions to sort through Tuesday morning, and the most immediate answer came on safety Kerby Joseph: he won’t be available Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
Campbell made his weekly radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket’s “Costa & Jansen with Heather” show and said Joseph is still working his way back from the knee injury that has kept him out for more than a year. The Lions are entering Joseph’s second week of practice since starting his evaluation clock last week, and Campbell said the plan is to keep building him up in practice rather than push him into game action.
“We’re going to try and give him some scout team reps. He’s not going to play this game,” Campbell said.
“I know that (question) was coming. He’s not playing vs.
Miami. He’s just going to get some reps in practice.”
There’s still no clear timetable for when Detroit will try to get Joseph back into a game.
The Lions also appear headed into Sunday without starting center Cade Mays, who is dealing with a low-ankle sprain. Campbell said the team is getting backup Juice Scruggs ready to start against Miami.
“As of right now, he’s our guy, because I don’t see Cade practicing Wednesday and he might not Thursday,” Campbell said. “So we’re going to get Juice ready to go here.”
Scruggs stepped in against the Vikings and helped stabilize the offense, but Campbell pushed back on the idea that the spot is suddenly up for grabs once Mays is healthy again.
“Well, I can’t say that right now,” Campbell said.
He did, however, make it clear he was impressed with how Scruggs handled the assignment after spending much of the week taking mental reps at center.
“What I would say is that Juice came in and played very well,” Campbell said. “That’s what I would definitely say.
He took the mental reps this week, he got a couple live, but really it was more mental at center, and to get thrust back in there against that defense with everything that they were doing, to have that production, I mean, that was impressive. He was locked in.
He was so ready to go.”
Campbell didn’t have much new to offer on several other injured Lions. He said linebacker Jack Campbell is “improving,” but gave no further detail.
He also didn’t provide a meaningful update on D.J. Reed (hip), D.J.
Wonnum (concussion), Brian Branch (concussion), or Jacob Saylors (neck). Campbell said he does not believe Reed or Saylors will practice Wednesday, and the team won’t know more about Branch or Wonnum’s progress through the concussion protocol until later Tuesday.
On Reed specifically, Campbell said, ”Reed’s got a hip. There again, it doesn’t look good for him on Wednesday for sure. So until I can get more on that, I don’t see where he’s at,” Campbell said.
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