Tag: Dashawn Hand

Detroit Lions Week 12 injury designations: Kenny Golladay OUT, D’Andre Swift Questionable

The Detroit Lions have declared the injury designations for their Week 12 Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Houston Texans.

The Detroit Lions (4-6) have declared the injury designations for their Week 12 Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Houston Texans (3-7), and six players have been ruled out including starting wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola.

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

Injured reserve

Vaitai was added to injured reserve earlier today and he will be unable to play until after Week 14 at the earliest. As we have seen with the players listed above, eligibility does not necessarily mean a player will return on time.

Ruled OUT

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip Limited Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT
Danny Amendola Hip No Practice* Limited Practice* No Practice OUT
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice OUT
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT
Mike Ford Concussion No Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT

*estimate

Golladay’s contract season is beginning to look like a lost one, as he is inactive yet again, making this his sixth game missed on the season — he has only partially played in five.

Golladay isn’t the only starting receiver out as Amendola will miss his second week in a row. Based on last week’s depth chart, Marvin Hall will likely take on Golladay’s starting role, while Jamal Agnew will rep in Amendola’s place. This also further explains the move to add Mohamad Sanu to the active roster earlier today.

Hand and Bryant will also be missing their second consecutive game, and practice squad defensive tackle Albert Huggins has been elevated to the active roster to give back end depth.

Dee Virgin was also elevated to the active roster. He will give the Lions depth at corner and will almost assuredly take over Ford’s starting gunner position. With Ford and Oruwariye OUT, the Lions only have four cornerbacks available on the active roster this week: Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman, Amani Oruwariye (who is injured and listed as questionable), and Virgin.

Questionable

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
D’Andre Swift Concussion No Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice Questionable
Reggie Ragland Ankle Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice Questionable
Amani Oruwariye Back Not Listed Not Listed Limited Practice Questionable

*estimate

Swift has now completed one non-contact and one practice with contact and will just need to receive medical clearance from an independent doctor outside of Allen Park in order to be cleared of his concussion. If he passes this final stage of the league’s protocol, he would be available to play on Thursday.

Ragland has been limited all week after injuring his ankle last Sunday, but signs point towards him being available as well.

Oruwariye being added to the injury report the day before a game is not ideal. It’s unclear if he injured his back today or earlier in the week, but the fact that he is listed as Questionable instead of OUT is a positive sign. He looks like he may be headed for a game-time decision tomorrow.

No injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
Marvin Hall Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
Jonah Jackson Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
Jarrad Davis Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice No designation
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice No designation
Will Harris Groin Limited Practice* Full Practice* Full Practice No designation

*estimate

Five starters have been upgraded from a limited to full practice today and no name among them is bigger than quarterback Matthew Stafford. He, along with coaches, have insisted Stafford has not been impeded by his injured thumb and a full practice backs this up.

Detroit Lions Week 12 Tuesday injury report: D’Andre Swift returns, Kenny Golladay downgraded

Examining the Detroit Lions injury report ahead of their Week 12 match up with the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving.

The Detroit Lions (4-6) held a walk-through practice as they prepare for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Houston Texans (3-7). Tuesday offered another set of estimated practice results as they only performed a walk-through, but it was full of both good and bad news.

Good news: D’Andre Swift returned to a limited practice and has a chance to play on Sunday if he continues to progress through the league’s concussion protocol. Bad News: Kenny Golladay was downgraded to no practice and appears unlikely to play.

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

Injured reserve

No Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip Limited Practice* No Practice*
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice* No Practice*
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice* No Practice*
Mike Ford Concussion No Practice* No Practice*

*estimate

For the second week in a row, Golladay was a mid-week downgrade on the injury report. Things are not looking good for his chance of playing on Thursday.

Hand and Okudah being listed as estimated non-participants is not good news for their availability, as it is an indicator that trainers are not seeing improvements in their injuries.

Ford not being listed as a participant in any capacity means he will not be able to clear the league’s concussion protocols and will miss this week’s game. The Lions will once again be on the hunt to find a new starting gunner.

Limited practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
D’Andre Swift Concussion No Practice* Limited Practice*
Danny Amendola Hip No Practice*  Limited Practice*
Marvin Hall Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Jonah Jackson Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Jarrad Davis Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Reggie Ragland Ankle Limited Practice* Limited Practice*

*estimate

Swift and Amendola were upgraded today, improving their chances of being available on Thursday.

Swift being listed as limited means he is progressing through the league’s protocols and likely only has two steps remaining in order to be cleared to play: 1) get in practice with contact on Wednesday; 2) be medically cleared by an independent doctor — which could also happen ahead of Thursday.

Everyone else appears to be on the right track to play this week. The only note on the remaining players listed here is on Vaitai, as it’s not clear if he was benched last week or if it was injury-related.

At his Tuesday press conference, coach Matt Patricia said Vaitai “is out there battling every day, and I think he’s pushing through some things that have restricted him a little bit.” Which didn’t really clarify what happened with Vaitai last Sunday.

Full Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Will Harris Groin Limited Practice* Full Practice*

*estimate

Harris being estimated to have been available to participate in a full practice means the trainers are liking what they see with his injury.

Texans’ Report

This section will be filled in one the Texans release their Tuesday injury report.

Detroit Lions Week 12 injury report: 16 players estimated as injured

Examining the Detroit Lions injury report ahead of their Week 12 match up with the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving.

The Detroit Lions (4-6) are preparing to host the Houston Texans (3-7) for their annual Thanksgiving day game, and because it’s a Thursday game, the team injury reports will be released on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week.

After yesterday’s game, the Lions did not hold a full practice today, so the injuries listed are best guesses from coaches and not based on today’s performances.

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

Injured reserve

No Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
D’Andre Swift Concussion No Practice*
Danny Amendola Hip No Practice*
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice*
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice*
Mike Ford Concussion No Practice*

*estimate

Swift is still in the league’s concussion protocol and it’s not exactly clear how far along he is. If he were able to pass a workout regimen, then he would still have to make it through Tuesday’s practice in a non-contact capacity, then through Wednesday’s practice as a full-contact player. He would then have to be medically cleared by an independent doctor to be available for Thursday’s game.

Amendola missed all of last week with a hip injury and after being estimated as unlikely to have practiced today does not bode well for his availability on Thursday. It’s still early but not off to a great start.

Hand’s health is headed in the wrong direction. After being added to the injury report in the middle of last week, Hand looked like he had a chance to play on Sunday. Unfortunately, he was downgraded on Saturday and is now estimated to not have practiced today as well. Not a great start to the week.

Okudah was injured in yesterday’s game and was forced to leave the contest early. He has shown the ability to bounce back quickly from other injuries this year, but a short week complicates things.

Ford is in the same boat as Swift and will need to pass through all of the league’s protocols on a short week. He was also injured in yesterday’s game during a special teams play.

Limited practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice*
Kenny Golladay Hip Limited Practice*
Marvin Hall Toe Limited Practice*
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice*
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice*
Jonah Jackson Knee Limited Practice*
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice*
Jarrad Davis Knee Limited Practice*
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice*
Reggie Ragland Ankle Limited Practice*
Will Harris Groin Limited Practice*

*estimate

Stafford, Hockenson, Vaitai, Davis, and Jones were all on the injury report last week but were able to play last Sunday. Vaitai was the only one in this group that left the game early, but it’s unclear if this was injury-related or a benching.

Golladay and Bryant are being upgraded in this estimated scenario, which is very positive news for their progress. If Golladay is able to play on Thursday, it would be a massive upgrade for the Lions’ offense.

Hall, Jackson, Ragland, and Harris are all new additions to the injury report. The fact that they were listed as listed instead of did not practice is a good sign for their availability.

Full Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
No Players Full Practice*

*estimate

No Lions’ players are estimated to be in this category at this time.

Texans’ Report

This section will be updated when the Texans release their injury report.

Establishing the 53: Rounding out the Lions’ DL

Examining the Detroit Lions defensive linemen and debating who and how many players they will keep on the 53-man roster.

It’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.

Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, added an offensive weapon, narrowed down the offensive line, and in this piece, we will shift to the other side of the ball and focus on the Lions defensive line — projecting who and how many will make the 53-man roster.

Setting the table

The Lions defensive line primarily operates out of a three-man front, deploying a down defensive end (the DDE lines up on the offensive tackles outside shoulder, but will also shift inside to the 3-technique), a nose tackle (the NT splits time evenly between the 1- and 3-technique) and a defensive tackle (the DT lines up from the 3- to the 5-technique). In this set, the Lions will also line up a pass-rushing JACK linebacker opposite the DDE — for this exercise, the JACK will be discussed further in a linebacker article.

Because this is a hybrid front, the Lions will also operate with four defensive linemen, substituting a back-7 player (linebacker or defensive back) in favor of a big defensive end (BDE). The BDE will line up at the 7- or 9-technique (outside the tight end) in four-man fronts but will also rotate through at DT in three-man fronts.

For a frame of reference, last year the starters at these spots were:

  • DDE = Trey Flowers
  • NT = Damon Harrison
  • DT = A’Shawn Robinson
  • BDE = Da’Shawn Hand

Identifying starters

Despite losing two starters on the defensive line, the Lions front-four starters for 2020 are clear. Flowers will resume his role at DDE, Hand returns to his role at BDE/DT, while Harrison and Robinson were replaced in free agency by Danny Shelton at NT and Nick Williams at DT.

In three-man sets, expect Hand and Williams to rotate through the DT spot equally, regardless of who technically starts.

Erik’s take: You can write these four names in pen on your depth chart.

DDE reserve battle

After seeing over 53-percent of snaps last season, Romeo Okwara appears destined to resume the reserve DDE once again in 2020.

Jonathan Wynn runs third on the depth chart here but unless an injury happens the odds are against him. Add in the fact that JACK linebacker Austin Bryant can also flex to the DDE position and Wynn’s most optimistic outlook could be the practice squad.

Erik’s take: Okwara in, Wynn to the practice squad.

DT/BDE reserve battle

Last season the Lions kept four players at DT/BDE — Robinson (who has been replaced by Williams), Hand, Mike Daniels (who is still a free agent), and Kevin Strong. One of the reasons the Lions rolled with four players was due to Hand’s injury, but if he is healthy heading into this season, they may elect to keep only three players at this spot.

Strong returns to the roster, and as things sit right now, he appears to be the front runner for the third DT role. His primary competition will be seventh-rounder Jashon Cornell, a converted DE who shined last season at Ohio State after pushing inside to the 3-technique. Frank Herron, who was added to the Lions roster for the final month of the season, rounds out the group but he is staring at an uphill battle.

Erik’s take: Strong gets the nod in this projection, but he’ll be looking over his shoulder at Cornell who is headed to the practice squad. Herron is out.

NT reserve battle

Like at DT, this is another three-person battle between a returner, a draft pick, and a late addition to the roster.

After going undrafted in 2018, John Atkins has seen action each of the last two years, playing in 14 games and starting six down the stretch last season. His primary competition will be sixth-round pick John Penisini who has received a tremendous amount of praise for his upside in this type of NT role. Olive Sagapolu received a futures deal with the Lions last January, but like Herron, he lost his leverage once the Lions drafted a player at his position.

Erik’s take: Penisini is a perfect fit for this role and my gut feeling is he passes Atkins in the final weeks of the preseason, earning a spot on the 53. Atkins could push Strong for a deep reserve role but he’s more than likely headed to the practice squad. Sagapolu is out.

Conclusion

No real big surprises here, and while things can definitely shakeup during camp amongst the reserves, here’s where the depth chart stands in this projection:

  • DDE: Flowers, Okwara
  • NT: Shelton, Penisini
  • DT/BDE: Hand, Williams, Strong