Tag: carlton davis

Lions injury update: Carlton Davis, Brian Branch among the wounded

Lions injury update: Carlton Davis, Brian Branch among the wounded to start out Week 7

The first practice status injury report from the Detroit Lions ahead of the Week 7 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings features four players who did not participate on Wednesday.

The good news is that two of the players sat as part of a veteran rest regimen. Offensive linemen Frank Ragnow (C) and Kevin Zeitler (RG) each took the day for personal rest. Both played throughout the Week 6 win in Dallas until the Lions pulled the starters late in the blowout victory.

Cornerback Carlton Davis (quad) and offensive lineman Dan Skipper (ribs) also did not participate in practice. Davis is not in the concussion protocol after being kicked in the helmetless head during Sunday’s game.

Safety Brian Branch, the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week, was limited with a knee issue.

Finally, offensive lineman Christian Mahogany was a full participant as he continued to effort an activation from the non-football injury list.

Lions pass coverage tops the NFL in forcing tight-window throws

The Detroit Lions pass coverage tops the NFL in forcing tight-window throws by opposing QBs

Pass coverage has been a bugaboo for the Detroit Lions for several years. Zone, man, hybrid–it didn’t matter. The Lions secondary and linebackers were rotten in coverage.

The organization made a focused effort to fix that last offseason, and through six weeks it’s paying off very well. The overhauled cornerback room–with the top four CBs all newcomers in 2024–is spearheading the tightest coverage in the NFL in terms of forcing tight-window throws.

Judah Fortgang of PFF calculated the percentage of tight-window throws forced by each defense. The Lions came out on top at 27.9 percent, well above the 2nd-ranked Ravens at 22.9.

https://twitter.com/throwthedamball/status/1846267310387896424

Some of that is a function of a heavy pressure rate; receivers get more time to gain separation when the quarterback has more time to throw. However, new outside CBs Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis both fare quite well in the single coverage metric breakdown, too.

In this graphic, the higher to the upper right, the better. And that’s where Arnold and Davis reside, with slot Amik Robertson not far below them.

 

The result is a Lions defense that ranks 8th in points per game allowed, up from 23rd in 2023, and produced seven INTs in five games after picking off just 16 in 17 games a year ago.

Lions vs Cowboys: Monday postgame medical report for Detroit

Lions vs Cowboys: Monday postgame medical report for Detroit, including injuries to Aidan Hutchinson, Kyle Peko and more

These are the injuries I picked up on my initial watch. Unfortunately, there are two possible season-enders coming out of the Cowboys game.

Kyle Peko – left pec, 1q 7:55

Peko hurt his left pec during an attempted tackle. Pec tears can occur during an eccentric motion which occurred here when the runner broke away while Peko was trying to pull him in.

With how quickly Peko was ruled out, it hints there may have been a visible deformity of the pec on physical exam, which can signify a full pec tendon rupture and the likely end of his season. The best case scenario is a mild pec strain of the muscle body.

This is the third known pec strain/tear this year, along with Emmanuel Moseley and Frank Ragnow.

Penei Sewell – left leg, 2q 00:36

Video was obscured but he appeared to have his left leg rolled up on during David Montgomery’s TD run. It was a slow roll-up and didn’t look bad on video. He got up gingerly but didn’t miss any snaps.

Sewell was healthy enough to take a lateral to the house later in the game. Getting rolled up on can cause ankle or knee sprains but I’m not expecting anything significant here. We’ll see if he shows up on the Wednesday injury report.

Graham Glasgow – right shin cleated, 3q 13:18

Glasgow was visibly in pain after the play and was grabbing at his right shin. He didn’t miss a snap.

Close video review showed that he got cleated, leaving a mark on his shin which may have been a sock tear. Even if he has an underlying laceration, it’s no big deal and he’ll be fine.

Aidan Hutchinson – left tib/fib fracture, 3q 12:00

This is the big one. Early signs are good that he should make a full recovery in time for training camp with even an outside shot at the Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl less than 4 months away, Dan Campbell on Monday called Hutchinson’s timeline “4-6 months”.

Players will absolutely come back well before they are fully ready for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. Terrell Owens in 2005 is a good example.

The bone will be completely healed so the risk will be minimal. But Hutchinson won’t have his usual strength, burst, or stamina, and won’t play his typical 90% of snaps. His effectiveness will be questionable, but if the team is willing to open up a roster spot for him, I would expect him to play. After that one game, he will have five months to recover.

See my full Hutchinson article for more details of his injury.

Carlton Davis – cleat to head, 3q 10:38

Davis had his helmet crunched and ripped off, and if that wasn’t enough, he took a wicked cleat to his bare head. Fortunately, it looks like he avoided any significant injury, although he didn’t return to the game.

He was seen hanging out on the sideline in good spirits the rest of the game which means he passed the concussion evaluation and there are no serious concerns. It looks like he avoided a laceration or any eye damage. I suspect he could have returned to the game if necessary, and I’m expecting him to be fine for next game.

OTHER NOTES

Frank Ragnow strained his left pec three weeks ago. He showed no signs of aggravating the injury in his first game back.

Kerby Joseph had a mild hamstring issue during the practice week but was able to play the whole game without obvious aggravation. Good news going forward.

Lions rookie CB Terrion Arnold keeps getting better

Lions rookie CB Terrion Arnold keeps getting better by the week

It’s been far from perfect through four games played for Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold. He’s dealt with a hand injury and knee injury but that hasn’t kept him off the field for very long. Arnold’s played in 257 defensive snaps and that is 3rd most for the Lions this season.

Through all of that, Arnold has played up and down for the first quarter of the season. He’s allowed 16 receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown. Fortunately, he’s gotten better each week in coverage. The last two weeks, Arnold has been targeted 17 times but he’s only allowed 6 receptions for 65 yards.

https://twitter.com/RussNFLDraft/status/1833645629622391005

The bigger concern is the penalties that Arnold continues to get called for in these games. Through four games, he’s been called for eight penalties and five of those have been pass interference penalties. For the Lions, it seems evident that they’d rather have a physical defender over a defender that shy’s away from contact and consistently gets lost in space.

When listening to Dan Campbell and the Lions coaching staff, there doesn’t appear to be that much concern about Terrion Arnold. Specifically about the penalties. Every Wednesday, Campbell speaks with 97.1 The Ticket and yesterday, Campbell talked about Arnold. He said, “It’s something we talked about. We had our big practice yesterday, our big first down, full-pad practice. Those are to really work your craft and really hone in your skill, get better at it.”

Campbell continued and said, “there’s gonna be this give and take that goes down if you’re gonna compete with a receiver. Look, it’s a point of emphasis and he’s gonna be fine. He just keeps working through it and he knows what it is, but we need him to continue to compete and challenge on the perimeter.”

Overall, Arnold has  been in-phase when playing in coverage. He’s not allowing very big passing windows for quarterbacks and it feels like those windows will become non-existent soon. Sure, he’s got to improve on when and when not to grab a receiver with his hands but as the season continues, it looks like Arnold is only going to get better.

Lions vs Seahawks postgame medical report

Lions vs Seahawks postgame medical report is a thankfully light update

At first glance, the Lions victory on Monday night appears to be a healthy one, but there are a couple players to keep an eye on over the bye week.

Kerby Joseph 4q 3:17

Joseph’s body was torqued and bent to the right as he made a tackle. He came up reaching for his right hip area which could indicate a simple strain of the oblique or lower back. A hip pointer contusion can also cause pain in that location but I didn’t see any impact to that area. Kerby didn’t miss any plays and sealed the game with a tremendous interception.

The main concern is that the mechanism of this injury is very similar to the right hip injury he suffered last year, coincidentally also against the Seahawks. Watch the videos to compare:

Last year, Joseph finished that game but missed the next two games. He ended up having offseason hip surgery presumably on that right hip.

Joseph appeared to be in good spirits after the game so hopefully nothing more comes of this.

Carlton Davis 3q 1:15

The video wasn’t clear but Davis appeared to be having pain in the left arm/shoulder area after the play. He was hit hard in the right shoulder but it’s not certain that had anything to do with the injury. Davis left the game for only one play and was able to finish the game.

Hopefully, the injury is just a mild strain to the shoulder area. Worst case scenario would be a pec tear. No news will be good news here.

Lions-Buccaneers initial injury report medical analysis

Lions-Buccaneers initial injury report medical analysis, including info on Penei Sewell, Jameson Williams, Ifeatu Melifonwu and more

A minuscule Week 1 injury report has ballooned in Week 2. Overall, most of the injuries are likely mild, which is good news.

Penei Sewell NO PRACTICE ankle, OT

Obscured video suggests Sewell had a right high ankle injury. He didn’t miss any plays.

High ankle injuries can be tricky as they can cause instability. Even mild ones can result in missed time, like we saw last year with Taylor Decker and Jonah Jackson, who both finished games but then missed two and three games, respectively.

 

Jameson Williams LIMITED PRACTICE ankle, WR

Williams was down for a bit after a tweak to the left high ankle. Players can play through them but still end up missing future games.

I expected that he may get some precautionary rest this week. The LP vs an NP is an excellent sign that he will be available with minimal to no limitations vs the Bucs.

DJ Reader FULL PRACTICE quad, DT

Our most prized free agent signing is expected to make his debut almost exactly nine months from his quad tendon tear on December 16, 2023.

Expect Reader’s snaps to be limited as he has only been practicing for three weeks. Easing him into the season would be a prudent move to try to avoid any further injury.

Kerby Joseph NO PRACTICE hamstring, S

Joseph was in until the final defensive play so hopefully this means it’s nothing serious.

Marcus Davenport NO PRACTICE groin, DE

Davenport was in on the penultimate defensive play vs the Rams. No signs of injury, so severity is uncertain. After only playing four games last year, he needs to prove he can stay healthy.

Carlton Davis FULL PRACTICE chest, CB

Landing on his elbow could have caused the wind to get knocked out of him or a slightly more serious rib cartilage or abdominal injury. The fact that he was listed with a chest means it was a bit more than just wind. The FP suggests he is good and it was probably just a mild bruise.

Ifeatu Melifonwu NO PRACTICE ankle, S

With a possible ankle sprain suffered in the 2nd preseason game, Melifonwu is still not practicing — not a good sign for this weekend.

Loren Strickland FULL PRACTICE thumb, S

This undrafted rookie looks to be ready for this weekend. He may end up making his debut, depending on the health of Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph.

NOTABLES UNLISTED

Terrion Arnold

Against the Rams, Arnold laid down briefly for unknown reasons as nothing showed up on video. He appeared to be reaching for the left hip and upper leg area but this was inconclusive.

Brian Branch

Branch stayed down for an extra second this past Sunday after what appeared to be a hard hit to the side of the head which was worrisome for a concussion. There were no external signs of a concussion on the limited video.

Being unlisted is a reassuring sign that he avoided a concussion although it doesn’t rule out an undiagnosed concussion. Without external signs, a doctor can not diagnose a concussion unless the patient self-reports symptoms. Either way, he should be available on Sunday.

Alex Anzalone

Anzalone was sandwiched awkwardly while making a tackle on Sunday night. The video was benign and it’s good to see nothing came of it.

Dan Campbell Wednesday Press Conference Notes

No injuries were discussed at all. James Houston‘s preseason bone bruise injury was not brought up as a factor when Campbell discussed his inactivation in week one.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Calijah Kancey NO PRACTICE calf, DT

Kancey missed week one with this calf injury.

Last year, he had a calf strain in training camp that took four weeks to recover from. Then in his first game back on week one, he aggravated it and missed the next three games.

With this kind of directly relevant personal history, I expect the Bucs to play it very safe and not even consider playing him this weekend.

Antoine Winfield Jr NO PRACTICE ankle, S

This important starter will miss the game on Sunday due to an ankle injury.

Zyon McCollom LIMITED PRACTICE concussion, CB

An LP means that he will likely pass through the concussion protocol and be ready for Sunday.

Josh Hayes NO PRACTICE ankle, DB

Hayes left last game with an ankle injury and was later seen in a boot which is not a good sign for availability this weekend.

KJ Britt LIMITED PRACTICE illness, LB

William Gholston LIMITED PRACTICE elbow, DT

Luke Goedeke LIMITED PRACTICE concussion, OT

Logan Hall LIMITED PRACTICE foot, DE

NOTABLES UNLISTED

Bryce Hall CB fractured his ankle this past weekend and was placed on IR.

FANTASY IMPACT

The Bucs have major secondary issues as four defensive backs were injured in their last game. At least two will not play (Hall, Winfield) and likely three (Hayes). Also likely out is Calijah Kancey, a good pass rushing DT.

This could open the door for Williams to have another big game or for St. Brown to make his typical impact. Kalif Raymond and Sam LaPorta likely will benefit also.

Last year in the playoff game vs the Bucs, St. Brown had 8 receptions for 77 yards, LaPorta had nine for 65, and Williams two for 35. Raymond did not play due to a right knee injury.

If the Bucs decide to drop more players back to protect the secondary, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery could capitalize in the running game. Last year in the playoffs, Gibbs had a big day with nine rushes for 74 yards and four receptions for 40 yards while Montgomery had ten rushes for 33 yards and three receptions for 14 yards.

Regardless of who gets the yards, the offense is primed to bounce back after gaining only 293 yards in regulation against the Rams.

Lions vs. Rams Monday postgame medical report

Lions vs. Rams Monday postgame medical report with updates on Carlton Davis, Penei Sewell, DJ Reader and more

Despite having to play extra time to get a tough win, the Lions exited the Rams game in very good shape and there are no medical concerns for me at this time. Here are my initial thoughts on players that may have suffered injuries during the game, along with the time stamp for the injury.

Carlton Davis 4q 00:11

Davis was a concern when he left the game after going down at the end of regulation. There was only one defensive play after that, which made it hard to assess the severity.

On video, after Davis let the ball slip through his hands, he landed hard on his elbow which could have caused the wind to be knocked out of him. The worse case would be a rib cartilage or ab injury. No concerns for an elbow injury as it was protectively flexed at time of impact.

After the game, Davis confirmed to Colton Pouncy that it was just wind and he is fine.

Jameson Williams 2q 4:53

On video, Williams’ left high ankle was mildly tweaked due to a slight external rotation. He continued to play with no ill effects, although he did make the Rams feel sick in the 3rd quarter with a 52-yard TD catch.

Jamo might need some extra rest this week but should be full-go vs the Bucs. With the Bucs secondary suffering multiple significant injuries this past weekend, Williams may be headed for another big day.

Penei Sewell 1q 3:09

Obscured video showed Sewell possibly getting his right leg rolled up on which can cause a high ankle sprain. He limped a bit but missed no plays. After the game, he was walking up the tunnel with no obvious limp and there was no report of seeing him in a walking boot.

Recall last year that Taylor Decker and Jonah Jackson both suffered high ankle injuries and finished the game, but were seen in a walking boot afterwards and missed multiple games. Early signs are good that Sewell avoided significant injury and very likely will be available vs the Bucs.

Brian Branch 4q 13:24

No good replays here but the game video showed Branch taking a hard hit possibly to the left side of his head. He missed no plays, but a mild concussion is possible.

As is often the case with mild “bell rung” concussions, it requires the patient to report symptoms for a diagnosis to be made by a doctor. I’m not expecting Branch to miss any time unless he self-reports symptoms.

Terrion Arnold 3q 5:13

Video showed Arnold lying on his back possibly with pain to the left hip or leg but hard to say. I reviewed that play along with all the previous plays of that drive and there were no signs of injury, although TV angles are notorious for not showing the secondary.

He missed two plays and finished the game with no problems.

Alex Anzalone 3q 6:30

Anzalone was briefly down after getting awkwardly sandwiched while making a tackle. His right knee did land hard but he missed no plays and nothing is too concerning on video. Of note, he has had a chronic right shoulder issue since his college days and always wears a shoulder brace.

 

Dan Campbell Monday press conference tidbits

DJ Reader is on track to play this Sunday vs the Bucs. There were no other medical updates or surprises.

Potential worries about the Detroit Lions: Defensive newcomers with injury histories

The Lions are trying to fill some big holes on defense with veterans who have some lengthy injury histories before coming to Detroit

Up next in the series of potential worries about the 2024 Detroit Lions is a more abstract concept. That’s because this one could turn out to be nothing at all, and that would be a great best-case scenario.

Potential worries about the 2024 Detroit Lions: Kicking

Potential worries about the 2024 Detroit Lions: The safety spot

This one deals with the rather lengthy injury histories of a couple of critical defensive additions. In fact, both are coming off season-ending injuries that ruined their final seasons with their prior teams.

That would be EDGE Marcus Davenport and DT DJ Reader. Each represents a quite significant upgrade over the player(s) he is replacing in the Lions lineup, but it requires that they’re both healthy and stay that way. And staying on the field has been a challenge for both, especially Davenport.

The 2018 first-round pick by the Saints (while Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn were on the coaching staff) has missed at least three games due to injury in every season but one, the 2022 campaign. That was his last year in New Orleans. Last year in Minnesota, Davenport lasted just four games before being lost for the season with a high ankle sprain.

Going back to his rookie OTAs, Davenport has missed time with:

  • Broken thumb
  • Broken big toe
  • Lisfranc surgery
  • Concussion
  • Sprained shoulder
  • Sprained ankle
  • High ankle sprain

That’s a lengthy list for a guy who often relies on out-athleting the opponent to get to the quarterback. A healthy Davenport is exactly what this Lions defense wants aligned opposite Aidan Hutchinson, with length, power, speed, initial quickness and positional discipline. He’s been healthy this summer and looked great in team drills. Can that last?

We still haven’t seen Reader in a full-contact practice. The 30-year-old was just activated after recovering from a torn quadriceps. It’s the second time Reader has torn his quad, the prior one coming in 2020, his first year with the Bengals. Three of his first four seasons in the NFL, all with the Houston Texans, featured stints on I.R. for various injuries.

[lawrence-related id=110576]

When he’s been on the field, Reader has earned the respect as one of the very best nose tackles in the league. Like Davenport, he’s physically a perfect fit for Glenn’s defense–if he’s healthy.

The Lions need them, to be blunt. The backup options, while not awful, just don’t provide the same level of impact or reliability. In the case of Davenport, his two primary backups, Josh Paschal and James Houston, each have some unfortunate injury histories of their own.

Cornerback Carlton Davis has also been in the training room a lot during his six seasons in Tampa Bay. He’s never played in more than 14 games in any season, including missing five in 2023 with various injuries (concussion, groin, toe). Davis also missed some training camp time, though he returned looking just fine. Detroit has better depth at Davis’ outside cornerback spot, but he’s the top dog and a veteran leader who makes players around him better.

Those are the three biggest veteran additions to the Lions defense. All are being counted upon to help Detroit’s D rise up the rankings and become a force of its own. If the Lions can get 15 games each out of Reader, Davenport and Davis, that’s fantastic. Alas, it might be unrealistic given their histories.

Lions welcome back many injured players to practice

Lions welcome back many injured players to practice, including both starting cornerbacks

The Detroit Lions held a walkthrough practice on Sunday, a day after the home preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a low-key session, but one that saw a lot of the walking wounded return to action for Detroit.

Head coach Dan Campbell revealed a very positive participation report for the Sunday session during his Monday morning meeting with the media. All of the following players were back in action for the walkthrough:

CB Terrion Arnold

CB Carlton Davis

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

TE Sam LaPorta

LB Malcolm Rodriguez

RG Kevin Zeitler

It also marked the practice debut for DT DJ Reader, who was activated off the PUP list after missing all offseason recovering from a torn quadriceps tendon.

All of the returnees except Rodriguez are frontline players for the Lions. Getting them back and having solid practice time ahead of the Week 1 opener against the Los Angeles Rams is very good news.

Dan Campbell updates the injury status of the Lions CB room

The top 4 CBs on the Lions are all dealing with injuries, and Dan Campbell updated the statuses of Terrion Arnold, Carlton Davis & Co.

The Detroit Lions have been without the top four cornerbacks on the depth chart at various times throughout training camp. Three of the four missed the second preseason matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to injuries.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered some updates on the walking wounded in the cornerback room ahead of Tuesday’s practice.

Ennis Rakestraw

Rakestraw left a recent practice with an ankle injury, but it sounds like the second-round rookie is fine.

“Ennis will be back,” Camobell said. “He’ll be out there today”

Carlton Davis

Davis has missed time recently with a hamstring issue and isn’t quite back.

“Davis will be limited today,” was all Campbell offered.

Amik Robertson

Robertson started the Chiefs game and played well, but he suffered an undisclosed injury that will keep him limited in practice on Tuesday, per Campbell.

Terrion Arnold

The first-round rookie is still sidelined with the chest injury he suffered in practice over a week ago. Arnold will not practice this week.

“I think there’s a chance we could get (Arnold) middle of the week next week,” Campbell stated. “He could get a practice in before the guys go on their break. He’s trending, he’s trending in the right way.”