Detroit Lions Thursday Week 9 injury report: Taylor Decker and Hal Vaitai return to practice

Examining the Detroit Lions Week 9 injury report as they take the field in preparation to face the Minnesota Vikings.

The Detroit Lions (3-4) were back on the practice field again on Thursday as they prepare for their Wek 9 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings (2-5). Two starters on the offensive line returned to practice, while another starting offensive lineman was downgraded to a non-participant status. Two steps forward and one step back.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

IR/PUP/Reserve-COVID-19

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip No Practice No Practice
Jamal Agnew Ribs No Practice No Practice
Joe Dahl Back Limited Practice No Practice 
Tracy Walker Foot No Practice No Practice

Golladay is expected to miss this week’s game, but if they are also missing Agnew, that leaves only four healthy wide receivers. Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola are locked in as starters, but it’s unclear if the team will turn back to Marvin Hall or Quintez Cephus to replace Golladay — or maybe a combination of the two.

Walker missing a second practice in a row is discouraging. If he is not able to play, expect more playing time for Jayron Kearse and Will Harris to get back into the mix.

Dahl wasn’t noticeably injured in the last week’s game, then was limited on Wednesday and downgraded to no practice on Thursday, suggesting this may be a recent injury and could threaten his availability for Sunday.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Taylor Decker Back No Practice Limited Practice
Hal Vaitai Foot No Practice Limited Practice
Danny Shelton Wrist Limited Practice Limited Practice
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice Limited Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice
Darryl Roberts Hip/Groin Limited Practice Limited Practice

Decker and Vaitai returned to practice today, and if they are able to play, but Dahl is not, it sets up the Lions to return to their previous offensive line structure — where they found success in Week 6 and 7:

Left tackle Left guard Center Right guard Right tackle
Taylor Decker Jonah Jackson Frank Ragnow Hal Vaitai Tyrell Crosby

Shelton and Jones getting in back-to-back limited practices is a good sign for their availability on Sunday. Friday’s participation will be the deciding factor, but things are looking good right now.

Trufant is finally stringing together several limited practices and could be ready to return to action this week if the trend continues. If he does return, it’s unclear if he will jump back into a starting role, meaning the Lions will rotate Amani Oruwariye and Jeff Okudah again or is Trufant will be part of a rotation as he re-acclimates to game action.

Roberts has been relegated to a reserve role now that Justin Coleman is healthy, but the Lions could still use his depth on the roster.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice Full Practice

Hockenson being upgraded to full practice is terrific news for the Lions as he may the team’s top and most consistent receiving option with Golladay likely out.

Vikings Report