It’s been a rough season for Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph. After a strong start—nabbing three interceptions in the first six games of the season—Joseph has been sidelined with a knee injury for the past six contests. The Lions have not placed him on injured reserve, yet he hasn’t practiced, and the only updates we’ve been regularly getting is that he’s improving.
Things came to a head this week when Joseph went on social media, posted a couple of concerning messages (“God help me,” “I’m lost 4 words”) before deleting his social media accounts completely.
Afterwards, we got a little bit of clarity from coach Dan Campbell and Joseph himself via a pair of media sessions. So let’s break it all down.
Note: We will not be using any speculation on his injury from internet doctors who are guessing diagnoses based on video and comments. I understand the value of those expert opinions, but I would rather deal in hard facts for this post.
What is Kerby Joseph’s injury?
While there is no direct diagnosis of Joseph’s injury, we know that it is a knee injury that includes a bone bruise. Here’s what Campbell said this week about the specifics of the injury.
“I think bone bruise was certainly part of it, but it’s also just–he’s got some wear. He’s got a little wear, that’s all.
The beginning of this knee injury is unclear. He missed some time in training camp. Here’s what Campbell said about it then (August 18):
“Yeah, it’s something he’s been dealing with a little bit. So, he won’t be out there today. We’re hoping to get him back late in the week, that’s the hope right now. We don’t feel like it’s a major problem, it’s just something we’re trying to manage right now and get it calmed down.”
Joseph would eventually return to practice and was off the injury report for Week 1. However, he was back on it for Weeks 2 and 3, before being off it again in Week 4.
Since after the Lions’ Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns, he’s been listed with a knee injury every week on the injury report. He played with that injury for two more games (Bengals, Chiefs) before being sidelined for the next six. In the Browns and Chiefs game, Joseph left temporarily, only to return later.
What is the hold up in his recovery?
Per Campbell, the concern is stability in his leg. In order for them to feel comfortable with him playing, they need to build up strength around it.
“A lot of it is just trying to get some stability in the leg. Get some strength, get some stability, which in turn will help some of the pain but also some of the wear and tear,” Campbell said. “The stronger you get it in there, it stabilizes it, so it doesn’t wear out as fast or create that kind of pain with it.”
Why the Lions didn’t put Joseph on injured reserve is unclear, but it’s certainly possible they didn’t expect the recovery to take long. And it’s also possible the Lions wanted to conserve IR-to-return spots, the maximum of which is eight per season.
One thing is for certain, though, the Lions believe Joseph is doing all he physically can to get back out there.
“I know it can be frustrating when you get hurt, especially when you’ve been trying to work your way back. And he’s been busting his tail to get back,” Campbell said.
Is this an injury that will affect his entire career?
This is where we have some conflicting information.
On Monday, Campbell indicated this is an injury that may never completely go away.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily going away, but I think you do the best you can to manage it,” Campbell said. “It’s like a lot of these guys, you know that they’ve got some injuries here or dealing with cartilage or meniscus or anything like that, you do your best to manage it. There’ll always be a little wear and tear, it’s just how bad is it.”
Joseph, himself, seemed to mostly corroborate this. In a short, somber media session on Monday, here’s how he answered some questions from reporters:
Reporter: “What can you add to [your social media posts] in terms of diagnosis?
Joseph: “My knee’s messed up.”
Reporter: “How do you fix it at this point?”
Joseph: “You don’t fix it. Just keep your faith.”
Reporter: “Surgery in the offseason or something like that? Is something like that possible?”
Joseph: “Nuh-uh”
Later, he was asked about how concerned he was that the injury would impact his long-term NFL career. His answer: “Got to trust in God’s plan. Put it in God’s hands.”
But a Tuesday report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz paints a brighter future for Joseph, including a potential offseason treatment that could help. Here’s the entirety of Schultz’s tweet:
#Lions All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph has been dealing with a nagging knee injury which has kept him out of the lineup, but he intends to return to the field this season, and this injury is not considered career-altering, as some have speculated, per multiple sources.
Joseph will likely seek treatment for the knee in the offseason, but he plans to be on the field in the coming weeks.
When will Joseph play again?
It seems relatively soon. Joseph returned to practice on Monday sporting a pretty hefty brace on his left leg, and he was moving around pretty well.
That said, he was constantly fidgeting with the brace, and he did not practice on Tuesday. Campbell was quick to point out this wasn’t necessarily a setback in Joseph’s recovery.
“He’s been rehabbing, he’s been doing things on the side, but that’s kind of his first being around it in the individual drills. And so, sometimes you’re always going to hope for a little bit more than the first time you get back on the turf, but that doesn’t mean this is a setback,” Campbell said prior to Tuesday’s practice.
The Lions play the Cowboys on Thursday, which seems possibly too early for Joseph’s return given he’s only had one practice with the brace. But with the Lions having a mini-bye before their Week 15 games against the Rams, that seems like a more realistic goal.
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