Allen Park — The knee injury that’s keeping Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph from returning to the field could linger indefinitely, Lions coach Dan Campbell said Sunday.
Campbell said the team hopes Joseph can do some individual work in practice this week, but couldn’t provide a concrete timeline for his return.
“He’s closer than he was before. He’s close,” Campbell said. “We’ll know a lot more, really, tomorrow, and (Wednesday we’ll) see where he’s at. But he is getting better, like we said, he’s getting better every week.”
Joseph now has missed six games with the knee injury, which he was battling even when he was playing. Asked why Joseph didn’t go on injured reserve, Campbell said they’re hoping to gain stability in the leg and indicated that the pain Joseph is experiencing could be chronic.
“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 in there, it stabilizes it, so it doesn’t wear out as fast or create that kind of pain with it. That’s really a lot of what it is right now.”
Campbell said he doesn’t believe the pain is “going away, but I think you do the best you can to manage it.”
Joseph missed significant time with a knee injury in training camp in hopes of being able to hold up over the course of the regular season, but that did not come to fruition.
“It’s like a lot of these guys that have gotten some injuries here or (other) deals, could be 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?” Campbell said.
“But I do know the more you can strength and stabilize, that helps a ton. Helps with the swelling, helps with the pain. That’s where we’re at.”
Asked to clarify if Joseph has a bone bruise, Campbell said, “I think bone bruise was certainly part of it. But it’s also just, you know, he’s got some wear. He’s got a little wear. That’s all.”
More injury updates
▶ TE Brock Wright (neck): The Lions are seeking a second opinion on the neck injury suffered by Wright, with the hopes of changing his outlook for the rest of the season.
Campbell said Wright suffered a trachea (windpipe) injury, and while he doesn’t have a concrete update on his status, he said that it “could be” a long-term injury. Wrock appeared to suffer his injury against the New York Giants when he landed on his head after trying to hurdle a defender.
“We’re still sending out scans for…his trachea, and just seeing if there’s any second opinions that would change, I guess, the outlook for him playing,” Campbell said. “Right now, there’s really nothing right now that would change that. So we’re kind of just in a (holding pattern). I know that frustrates him, he wants to play. But we’re just kind of in a holding pattern right now.”
The Lions were already down their top tight end, Sam LaPorta (back), and their third-string tight end, Shane Zylstra (ankle), at the time of Wright’s injury. Detroit relied on Ross Dwelley, Zach Horton and Anthony Firkser in the Thanksgiving Day game against Green Bay, a 31-24 loss.
▶ DE Josh Paschal (back): Lost in a sea of moves on Wednesday was the Lions’ decision to shut down Paschal for the rest of the season. Paschal was at the end of his 21-day acclimation window after missing the first part of the season due to a back injury he had during the offseason.
Campbell said the team couldn’t determine whether Paschal could hold up for the rest of the season and decided to shut him down.
“It just wasn’t enough time, really, to really be able to say that he knew he would be able to get through the year, or that he was ready,” Campbell said. “That’s what it came down to. Hate it for him, but it’s where it was at.”
Paschal, a second-round pick by Detroit in 2022, is in the final season of his four-year rookie deal. He will become a free agent at the end of this season.
▶ C Graham Glasgow: Campbell didn’t have a solid update on Glasgow, who missed Thursday’s game with a knee injury, although he did say that Glasgow is doing “better” than last week. The team had a walkthrough on Sunday and did not provide an estimated injury report, so there will be further clarification on Glasgow’s injury and his status for Thursday’s game against the Cowboys on Monday.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
