Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions continue to work their way through the bumps and bruises that occur during the physical part of training camp. On Monday, the Lions added another three players to their injury collective, and on Wednesday morning, coach Dan Campbell provided updates on their timelines for returning to practice.
During Day 10 of training camp, Dominic Lovett (abdominal injury), Pat O’Connor (leg injury), and Jamarco Jones (ankle) all suffered injuries during practice. While all three players needed to leave practice early, Campbell suggested that each player was able to avoid a long-term injury.
“It’ll be a week on (those) guys,” Campbell told the media. “(Dominic) Lovett may be (out) 10 days. But they’re good, it’s just going to take a minute.”
With that timeline, that likely means that Lovett, O’Connor, and Jones will all not only miss the Lions’ upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons, but they also could next week’s joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, and potentially that preseason game as well.
It’s a big blow for the rookie wide receiver Lovett, who is actively competing for a WR6 role on the roster. Fortunately, he was heavily used in the Lions’ first preseason game against the Chargers, has done well to establish himself in the rotation, and could return for the Lions’ final preseason game against the Houston Texans, assuming the timeline holds true.
The timing of the injury for O’Connor isn’t overly significant, as a veteran with an inside track for a spot on the 53-man roster, but it is bad news for Jones, as he was firmly on the roster bubble. With Dan Skipper nursing an injury and Giovanni Manu still working through his developmental curve, Jones had an opportunity to put his name in the mix for a spot on the regular season roster. Unfortunately, he’s now fighting rehabilitation time as well as competition for a depth role.
While Campbell didn’t offer any other injury updates, here’s what we know about the other players dealing with return-to-play injuries:
The following players are still on the Lions’ injury lists:
Additionally, rookie running back Kye Robichaux (shoulder), who was released with an injury designation on Monday, has officially cleared waivers and reverted to the Lions’ injured reserve. For now, he’ll join rookie safety Dan Jackson (leg – IR) and Levi Onwuzurike (ACL – PUP) on the Lions’ season-ending injury lists, but he could be a candidate for an injury settlement.
