The Detroit Lions (5-7) are hosting the Green Bay Packers (9-3) in Week 14, and like most weeks near the end of the season, Wednesday’s practice was a mixed bag of positive and negative results.
Starter Kenny Golladay and Jeff Okudah remained sidelined to open practice this week, while D’Andre Swift and Da’Shawn Hand were able to get in some work.
Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.
Injured reserve
- JACK Julian Okwara (IR) has begun practicing
- EDGE Trey Flowers (IR) is eligible to return at anytime
- OL Hal Vaitai (IR) is eligible to return after Week 14
- CB Desmond Trufant (IR) is eligible to return after Week 15
- DT Danny Shelton (IR) is eligible to return after Week 15
Okwara began practicing last week and Flowers has been seen working with trainers on the sidelines of practice, which is typically an indicator a player is getting ready to return to practice. When asked about the possibility of Flowers returning in 2020, interim coach Darrell Bevell said, “He’s progressing that way, I think that’s his mindset, which is probably the most important thing, and we’re looking forward to that day.”
No Practice
| Player | Injury | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Designation |
| Kenny Golladay | Hip | No Practice | |||
| Tyrell Crosby | Ankle | No Practice | |||
| Jeff Okudah | Groin | No Practice | |||
| C.J. Moore | Ankle | No Practice |
Golladay continues to get positive reports from Bevell, yet he remains absent on the field.
Crosby injured his ankle, had to leave the Bears game early, and was unable to return. With Hal Vaitai on injured reserve, Crosby was replaced in the starting lineup by Matt Nelson, who appears to be in line to start this week if Crosby is unable to play. Offensive tackle Dan Skipper has been protected on the practice squad as insurance.
Okudah’s shoulder injury is no more, but now he is listed with a groin injury. Suffering a soft tissue injury while trying to recover from another separate injury is a common occurrence for young players.
Moore also injured his ankle in last Sunday’s game and was replaced in the lineup by Bobby Price on special teams. Price has also been protected on the practice squad this week.
Limited practice
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Designation |
| Matthew Stafford | Thumb | Limited Practice | |||
| D’Andre Swift | Illness | Limited Practice | |||
| Kerryon Johnson | Knee | Limited Practice | |||
| Da’Shawn Hand | Groin | Limited Practice | |||
| Austin Bryant | Thigh | Limited Practice |
Stafford’s injury appears to be a non-issue. Move along.
At his morning press conference, Bevell suggested they would be taking it slow with Swift as he re-acclimates to practice. “When you take that much time off and you’re not out there running around full speed, (you) don’t want to give him full go and then have him have a soft tissue injury or anything.”
Bevell also suggested they would also take their time with Johnson, but he would go through his typical routines. “We’re still going to continue to treat him like we normally do. He’s a veteran player, so we’ll continue to monitor him during the week. On Wednesday, we’re usually a little bit lighter and then kind of ramp him up as the week goes. We’ll continue to do that, and there’s really no change in his status.”
Hand and Bryant have both missed the last several weeks and a limited practice for both is encouraging. Bryant got in a week’s worth of limited practices last week before being downgraded on Saturday and eventually out on Sunday. He seems further along than Hand who is just seeing the field for the first time today since injuring his groin.
Full Practice
| Player | Injury | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Designation |
| No Players | Full Practice |
There are no players listed in this section at this current time.
Packers’ Report
This section will be updated once the Packers report their injuries.