The Detroit Lions (8-5) and Los Angeles Rams (10-3) have declared their initial Week 15 injury reports as they prepare to square off in an NFC showdown. With this game being played on a Sunday, the Lions’ practice schedule is back on its regular timeline: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with designations happening after the third day.
Let’s take a look at the latest injury report and get you up to date with what we know. Note: Any changes from the last injury report will be bolded.
Injured reserve updates
- TE Shane Zylstra (knee, IR) — Started injury evaluation clock
- TE Brock Wright (neck, IR) — Eligible to return in Week 18
- LT Giovanni Manu (knee, IR) — Spotted with trainers
- LG Christian Mahogany (fibula, IR) — Started injury evaluation clock
- LB Zach Cunningham (hamstring, IR)
- CB Terrion Arnold (shoulder, IR) — Season-ending surgery
Wright and Arnold landed on injured reserve last week. While the door is still somewhat open for Wright to make a return before the playoffs, Arnold’s season is over as he is headed toward season-ending surgery.
Mahogany has previously suggested that he is nearing a return to the starting lineup, and he took the next step in that process by returning to practice and starting his injury evaluation clock on Wednesday.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re going to work him into practice,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday. “And yeah, I mean I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to get him at some point here this season.”
Mahogany spoke to the media following practice and suggested that return could happen as soon as this week or next:
Lastly, with the IR updates, Manu was spotted off to the side of practice on Wednesday, working with trainers. This is typically a step toward returning to practice sometime in the next few weeks.
No practice
- LT Taylor Decker (shoulder)
- LB Alex Anzalone (illness) — New ailment
- S Brian Branch (achillies) — Injured in Week 14
Decker has routinely taken pre-planned practices off to rest his shoulder, so there is not much to worry about here at the moment. Like always, we expect him to return to practice at some point this week, but we will be keeping an eye on the situation just in case.
Anzalone missed practice with an illness, and while that can often be mild, sometimes things can linger and last the week. We’ll have to keep an eye on how he progresses this week.
Branch, who tore his achillies in the Lions’ last game, has had successful surgery, according to Campbell. While he has not yet been placed on injured reserve, that is expected to happen as early as Wednesday or as late as Saturday.
“Yeah, he has. He’s had it repaired, and it sounds like everything went well,” Campbell said of Branch having surgery. “So, they’re always going to give you the 8-12 months (timeline for recovery) or whatever that is from the time of the surgery. But the surgery went well. Everything went well.”
Limited practice
- RB Sione Vaki (thumb)
- WR Kalif Raymond (ankle) — Upgraded from no practice
- TE Shane Zylstra (knee, still IR) — returned to practice — Days remaining in injury evaluation clock: 11
- LG Christian Mahogany (fibula, still on IR) — Days remaining in injury evaluation clock: 20
- LG Kayode Awosika (foot) — Upgraded from no practice
- S Kerby Joseph (knee) — Upgraded from no practice
- S Thomas Harper (concussion) — Injured in Week 14
Vaki continues to practice with an injured thumb, and while it’s limited his practice reps, he’s been getting a full allotment of snaps in games.
Raymond missed the last two games but was able to return to practice on Wednesday and is setting himself up for a return to action. Isaac TeSlaa and Tom Kennedy have played well in his absence, and quite frankly, they’ve earned more playing time once Raymond returns in full. Don’t expect Raymond to get relegated to the bench, but the Lions can afford to ease him back into game-day functions.
Zylstra returned to practice last week but did not practice in the two final practices of the week. That was by design, according to Campbell, who insisted that not only is Zylstra still on track to return to action, but it could happen as soon as this week.
“No, that was normal, what we were doing. That’s what we wanted to do last week,” Campbell said of Zysltra’s unusual practice schedule last week. “So, he didn’t miss any time. It was kind of how we had it planned. So, he was out there at walkthrough, we’re going to have him out at practice today, and we’d love to have him at the game barring no setback. We’ll see where he goes here.”
Awosika suffered a mid-week injury last week, and it kept him from playing in the game. Fortunately, he was able to get back on the practice field on Wednesday, and barring a full return from Mahogany, Awosika should challenge to start at left guard in this game. Trystan Colon and rookie Miles Frazier split the role in Week 14.
Joseph returned to practice last week, but only for the first day, then was relegated to not practicing the remainder of the week. He was back on the practice field again to start this week, and while it’s an encouraging sign, it’s not entirely clear when he’ll be able to play in a game again.
Harper suffered a concussion on the second defensive play of Week 14 and was forced from the game. A return to practice suggests he is progressing through the NFL’s protocols, but he likely needs to cross a few more steps before he is cleared for action.
No longer on the injury report
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle)
- RT Penei Sewell (shoulder)
- C Graham Glasgow (knee)
St. Brown didn’t practice last week, but he was able to play and start in the game against the Cowboys. With a few extra days off following last Thursday’s game, he’s remarkably no longer listed on the injury report.
Sewell has been nursing a few injuries for the last month and a half, and the Lions have preferred to take things easy on their All-Pro right tackle. Glasgow has also been dealing with his own ailments the last few weeks, but he has also been able to play through and start at center. Both should be good to go.
Rams’ initial injury report
Coming soon.
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