The Detroit Lions held Pro Bowl safety Kerby Joseph out of organized team workouts this spring to give his injured knee as much rest as possible before next season.
Lions safeties coach Jim O’Neil said he’s not sure when Joseph will return to the practice field – or how much he’ll practice – when training camp begins this summer.
“I don’t know,” O’Neil said before the Lions’ final practice of minicamp Wednesday, June 17. “I know he’s doing everything he can to get back as soon as he can. Dan [Campbell] and the medical staff have a plan, so whatever that plan is, that’s how we’ll go forward and we’ll execute.”
Joseph, the Lions’ interception leader each of the past four seasons, missed the final 11 games last season because of a cartilage condition in his knee he indicated is career-threatening.
Joseph declined multiple interview requests this spring, including one Wednesday, but has been a regular on the sideline at practice, where he’s been engaged with teammates and gregarious with reporters, a stark contrast to the somber mood he displayed while dealing with the injury last year.
Campbell said during OTAs this month he wasn’t sure what to expect from Joseph this fall but that the 2022 third-round pick has “done everything he can do to this point” to manage the injury. O’Neil said that includes staying immersed in the defense by watching old film and taking part in extra meetings.
“We are trying to be as smart as we can and not push this until we absolutely have to because once we’ve done that, then we’ll know one way or another,” Campbell said June 4. “And it’s not worth it right now. We’re just slowly building, continuing to strengthen there. He’s getting treatment. He’s done some of these different things at different places to try to help. So, I feel good about that. I feel good about that we’ve done everything we can and so has he.”
O’Neil said Joseph and safety Brian Branch, who’s expected to start camp on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, are “both highly motivated” to return to action.
Asked if Joseph is a better option than some of the Lions backups if he can only return to 80% of his pre-injured form, O’Neil said, “If Kerby or Brian Branch is healthy enough to practice, those are our starting safeties.”
“Maybe not every day, but you need to practice,” O’Neil said. “You can’t take a year off of football and expect to go play at an All-Pro level. And that’s everybody at every position. I mean, you need to practice to get the timing, to have the chemistry. I mean, we’ve got a lot of new guys, so absolutely he needs to practice. Does he need to do it every day? Probably not.”
Free agent additions Christian Izien and Chuck Clark took most of the first-team reps at safety this spring, and the Lions also return Thomas Harper, who started nine games last season, and Avonte Maddox at the position. Dan Jackson, a seventh-round pick last year who missed all of his rookie season with a knee injury, Loren Strickland and Aamaris Brown also are vying for roster spots.
O’Neil said the Lions are as deep at safety as they’ve been in his three seasons with the team and he expects “an all-out battle” for playing time “once we get to training camp.”
“You might see different guys run with the ones every single day of training camp through the first two weeks, which is great because the best ones’ll play,” O’Neil said. “And then when Brian and Kerby come back, if those other guys earn a role for themselves, they’re going to play, too. [Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is] going to find a way to get the best 11 on the field.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions still formulating training camp plans for injured S Kerby Joseph
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
