The Detroit Lions (3-1) will travel to Ohio in Week 5 to take on the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2). Both teams were on the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare for another NFC North vs. AFC North showdown.
There were a lot of moving parts to Wednesday’s injury report, so let’s take a look and get you up to date with what we know. Note: Any changes from the last injury report will be bolded.
Injured list updates
- TE Shane Zylstra (ankle, Reserve/IR) — eligible to return in Week 7
- G Miles Frazier (undisclosed Reserve/PUP) — eligible to return
- EDGE Marcus Davenport (pectoral, Reserve/IR) — eligible to return in Week 7
- EDGE Josh Paschal (undisclosed, Reserve/NFI) — eligible to return
- DT Alim McNeill (ACL, Reserve/PUP) — 21-day evaluation window has begun
- LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ACL, Reserve/PUP) — eligible to return
- S Daniel Thomas (forearm, Reserve/IR) — eligible to return in Week 8
With McNeill returning to practice, the Lions have three full weeks to determine when he’ll be ready to return to the active roster—though he is eligible to be activated at any time. We also got a less-than-encouraging update from Campbell on edge rusher Josh Paschal and rookie guard Miles Frazier.
Campbell on Paschal:
“I would say the same thing as I said a week or two ago. He’s improving but he’s not ready yet.”
Campbell on Frazier:
“He is progressing not as fast as we’d hoped. I can’t say that we won’t get him back at some point this year, but it’s not as clear as, say, (Christian) Mahogany was last year. It was very clear at this point that, ‘Okay, he’s getting healthier. He’s starting to feel better.’ We’re not quite there, but he is improving.”
No practice
- RB Sione Vaki (groin)
- LT Taylor Decker (shoulder)
- LB Zach Cunningham (hamstring)
- CB D.J. Reed (hamstring) — New injury in Week 4 — UPDATE: Reed to IR
- CB Khalil Dorsey (concussion) — New injury in Week 4
- S Kerby Joseph (knee) — injured in Week 4
Vaki was finally cleared from an early training camp hamstring injury and was able to play in Week 3, but unfortunately injured his groin while playing on special teams. He missed all of Week 4 practices and the game, but no move to injured reserve suggests he’ll be able to return soon.
Decker and the Lions have been resting his shoulder during the week in order to get him ready to play on game day. And while that is not ideal for the long term, it’s what is necessary at this time. The Lions plan to get him practice reps when they can, but they’re not going to risk his potential to play in their next game.
“Decker has been laying it on the line for us,” Campbell said on Wednesday. “And we know he’s not 100 percent. And so, it’s taken everything to get him back for those games ready to compete. That’s been big. What he’s been able to do over the (past) four weeks, has been impressive and we’re fortunate he was there for us, to help us out. I thik he’s been playing good football, it’s just (been) about getting his body back.”
Cunningham was a Thursday addition to last week’s injury report and was unable to practice on Friday or play in the game on Sunday. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, and we don’t have any clarity on the severity here, so we will need to be patient as new information becomes available.
Reed injured his hamstring against the Browns in Week 4, and he required a cart to exit the field. While he is going to “be down for a while,” according to Lions coach Dan Campbell, this is not considered a season-ending injury. Reed has already been ruled out for this week’s game against the Bengals, but a move to injured reserve is still being debated, as Campbell indicated Reed’s injury could be the same length as a stint on injured reserve.
Dorsey apparently suffered a concussion in Week 4 and was unable to practice on Wednesday because of it. If he’s able to return to practice in the next two days, he’ll have a shot at clearing the NFL’s protocols and playing on Sunday. If not, the Lions could be down another corner.
Joseph let the game in the first half due to a knee injury, but was able to return in the third quarter after proving to the trainers that he could safely play on it. It’s unclear if this was the same knee Joseph has been managing since the end of training camp, but either way, he could be in for some lighter practices this week.
Limited practice
- DT Alim McNeill (ACL — Still on PUP) — Days remaining on clock: 20
- CB Terrion Arnold (shoulder) — New injury in Week 4
McNeill was indeed practicing on Wednesday, as expected after his practice window was opened.
Arnold injured his shoulder on a tackle and was forced from the game, but his injury is considered more short-term, though it could keep him out of Week 5.
“I don’t think this is a huge thing, but the question is: Is he going to be ready for this week?” Campbell said. “That would be really the question. And if it’s not this week, he should be back by next week for sure.”
A limited practice on Wednesday is a good sign he’s on the right track to playing on Sunday, but he may need to stack another practice ot two of limited work (at a minimum) in order to play against the Bengals.
No longer listed on the injury report
- LB Derrick Barnes (knee)
- EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee)
Last week, Barnes was limited at Thursday’s practice but returned in full on Friday and played on 91% of the team’s defensive snaps against the Browns. He should be good to go moving forward.
Muhammad only saw limited practices in Week 4, but was available and started against the Browns. The Lions may take some precautions with his knee, but he looks like he’ll be just fine.
Bengals’ initial injury report
Note: Starters are bolded.
No Practice
- WR/KR Charlie Jones (achilles)
- DE Shemar Stewart (ankle)
Limited practice
- TE Noah Fant (concussion)
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