Tag: Detroit Lions injury update

Lions lose DT Kyle Peko to a chest injury

Lions lose DT Kyle Peko to a chest injury suffered early in the Week 6 win over Dallas

The Lions lost more than just Aidan Hutchinson to injury in the Week 6 win over Dallas. Detroit also saw veteran defensive tackle Kyle Peko go down with a serious injury.

Reports indicate that Peko suffered a torn pectoral muscle during the first quarter of the Lions’ 47-9 win over the Cowboys. He was injured while trying to make a tackle in the run game and was quickly ruled out by the Lions team doctors. That injury would sideline Peko for the foreseeable future.

The Lions do have Brodric Martin at Peko’s position. Martin is currently on injured reserve, but head coach Dan Campbell has recently indicated on multiple occasions that Martin is close to returning.

If Peko’s season is indeed over, his Lions tenure ends with one tackle and one QB hit in 86 snaps across three games. Peko is playing on a one-year contract in Detroit.

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.

Aidan Hutchinson injury update following Lions win over Cowboys

The Lions and Dan Campbell updated the injury status of star EDGE Aidan Hutchinson after the Week 6 win in Dallas

Detroit Lions defensive star Aidan Hutchinson suffered a serious injury in the team’s 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Hutchinson was carted off after sacking Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in the third quarter of the win, the victim of a gruesome lower leg injury caused by a friendly-fire collision with a teammate.

The Lions revealed after the game that Hutchinson suffered a fractured tibia in his leg. He did not break both bones in the shin, nor did the bone break out of the skin. Hutchinson already had surgery to stabilize the injury and will remain in Dallas while the rest of the Lions return to Detroit.

“He’s in good hands right now,” Campbell said after the game. “He’s being taken care of … Obviously, he’s going to be down for a little while. So that’s tough, man. It’s hard when you lose somebody like him.”

Campbell added,

“It’s hard when you lose somebody like him. But, we’ll know a lot more after this and obviously, [we] wish him the best.”

 

Lions vs Cowboys: Wednesday injury report medical analysis

Lions vs Cowboys: Wednesday injury report medical analysis from the practice reports for both teams

The Lions should have the health advantage heading into the Cowboys game. The Cowboys just recently lost three impact edge rushers while the Lions are returning a couple key players coming out of the bye.

DETROIT LIONS

The Lions report is technically an estimate as they didn’t have practice Wednesday but should be very accurate as they have already practiced twice this week on Monday and Tuesday.

Frank Ragnow (FP) pec, C

After straining his left pec two weeks ago, Ragnow has already logged two practices this week. He will play vs the Cowboys with no concerns.

Brian Branch (FP) illness, S

Branch missed one game after a concussion three weeks ago and an illness two weeks ago. He is more than ready to go now with no concerns.

Christian Mahogany (FP) illness, OG

After a bout of mono starting in July, this 6th-round rookie started practicing again on Tuesday October 8. From a physical standpoint, the mono likely has not been an issue for weeks and I expect he could play at any time if the Lions need him. The FP today corroborates this. From a mental standpoint, he’s not ready as he hasn’t practiced since before training camp.

Campbell on Wednesday stated: “It looked like his 1st NFL practice which is what you’d expect.” As long as the guys ahead of him stay healthy, expect the Lions to use the entire 21-day practice window before activating Mahogany to the roster.

NOTABLES UNLISTED

Kerby Joseph

Against the Seahawks, Joseph appeared to injure his right side which could have been a mild oblique or back strain. The concern was that it could be an aggravation of the right hip issue from last year. While this is still a possibility, his absence from the report is a good sign.

Carlton Davis

Last game, Davis was down for a while after getting hit hard in the right chest area. Fortunately, nothing significant came of it.

Brodric Martin

Martin suffered a right knee hyperextension on August 24 and is still on IR. Earlier this week, Martin was seen working with a trainer on the field. I’d expect him to start his 21-day practice window soon.

DALLAS COWBOYS

With three of their top edge players out, the Cowboys will be relying on Chauncey Golston and Tyrus Wheat. Golston, a 4th-year player, has five sacks in his career and picked up a half sack last game. Wheat is a 2nd-year player with 0.5 career sacks who saw big uptick in playing time last week.

Micah Parsons (NP) ankle, LB

This elite pass rusher hurt his left high ankle in week four and has missed one game. High ankle sprains can keep players out longer than anticipated. With how much stress Parsons puts on his ankle, I don’t expect him to play this week and the NP today supports that.

Tyler Guyton (FP) knee, LT

The 1st-round rookie starter left the last game in the 2nd quarter due to a left knee injury. The injury is reportedly minor and Jerry Jones stated he has a good chance to play. The FP today confirms that. In his place last game, Tyler Smith moved from LG to LT and TJ Bass inserted at LG but those moves look to be unnecessary this week.

DaRon Bland (FP) foot, CB

This 1st-team All-Pro CB has been out the whole season due to a stress fracture in his 5th metatarsal but will make his return vs the Lions. Bland’s injury is in the location of a Jones fracture which is a tricky injury due to the higher risk of malunion (non-healing bone) and refracture. With his return, that means he has passed the malunion risk but the Cowboys will likely ease him in to minimize the refracture risk.

Eric Kendricks (NP) calf/shoulder, LB

Kendricks played 100% of defensive snaps last game so you wonder if his NP is just rest/precautionary.

Nick Vigil (NP) foot, ILB

Vigil is a special teams player who has not logged a defensive snap in the past three games.

NOTABLES UNLISTED

Marshawn Kneeland (OUT) right knee, DE – IR

This 2nd-round rookie who was filling in for the loss of Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence left the last game due to a torn lateral meniscus. He is having arthroscopic surgery this week and is on IR.

Demarcus Lawrence (OUT) right Lisfranc, DE – IR

This star DE is a big loss for the Cowboys.

Brandin Cooks (OUT) right knee infection, WR – IR

The loss of Cooks may not have a significant impact as the Cowboys have a productive WR corps of CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert, and KaVontae Turpin.

The full report is here:

All Lions on the active roster are healthy coming out of the bye week

All Lions on the active roster are healthy coming out of the bye week, including All-Pro C Frank Ragnow

The Detroit Lions are coming out of the bye in Week 5 in very good condition. In fact, all of the players on the active 53-man roster are healthy enough to practice ahead of the Lions’ Week 6 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

Detroit technically did not practice on Wednesday thanks to the bye week and coming off Monday Night Football in Week 4, so the practice participation report released by the team is only an estimate. But every single Lions player, including C Frank Ragnow and S Brian Branch, were estimated to be full participants if the team did hold a practice.

Branch and Ragnow each missed the win over Seattle. They are the only players on the active roster who earned any injury designation on the update. Rookie OL Christian Mahogany was also designated as a full participant as he continues to progress toward activation from the non-football illness list. Mahogany began his 21-day window to be activated during Tuesday’s practice.

Lions Monday Medical Update after the bye week

Lions Monday Medical Update after the bye week on the status of Frank Ragnow, Brian Branch, Derrick Barnes and more from the bye week

Good news and bad news came out of Dan Campbell’s press conference on the Monday after the bye.

GOOD NEWS: Regarding the status of Frank Ragnow and Brian Branch, “They were both out there practicing today. As of right now, they look good.”

BAD NEWS: Regarding Derrick Barnes potential return, “It’s tough to say right now. We will be fortunate to get him at any point this year.”

With this information, here is my updated analysis of these players’ injuries:

Frank Ragnow left pec strain

Ragnow hurt his pec two weeks ago on September 22 with an expected short-term recovery. With the news that Ragnow is already practicing, that’s further evidence that the pec strain was not severe and may not have even involved the tendon. Expect him to play vs the Cowboys.

Brian Branch concussion/illness

Branch’s concussion was two weeks ago on September 22. He had cleared the protocol and was set to play last Monday night, but an unspecified illness the day prior sidelined him. Just speculating here, but there may have been a concern that some of the illness symptoms were possible post-concussion symptoms so giving him a game off was a “better-safe-than-sorry” move.

His doubtful designation (vs out) for last Monday implied that the illness was nothing long-term, thus neither the concussion nor the illness was expected to keep him out for the next game. With Branch practicing today, that means there have been no setbacks and he should play vs the Cowboys.

Derrick Barnes right knee

Barnes injury was on September 22 and video suggested a possible MCL sprain or more. Campbell’s comments today are not optimistic but there is still a chance Barnes could be back this year. It’s not a complete ACL tear as there would be no talk of a return.

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.

All-Pro Lions C Frank Ragnow will not play vs. Seahawks

Dan Campbell confirms that All-Pro Lions C Frank Ragnow will not play vs. Seahawks as he deals with a pectoral muscle injury

It was an expected pronouncement from head coach Dan Campbell, but it doesn’t make it any easier to hear. During his Thursday press conference, Campbell indicated that Lions All-Pro center Frank Ragnow will not play in the Monday Night Football matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4.

“We’re going to put Frank down this week,” Campbell said, meaning he won’t be active.

Ragnow suffered a partially torn pectoral muscle in Detroit’s Week 3 win over the Cardinals. He played through the pain in the game, but he will now sit out the next one.

“We’re not going to mess with that,” coach Campbell continued. “Frank’s tough, he’s as tough as nails. If anybody can play though it, it’s him. I think we’ve got to be smart. Look, it’s early in the year, we’ve got a lot of football left.”

Campbell did not give any indication that the team was placing Ragnow on the injured reserve list. The Lions have a bye following Week 4.

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Frank Ragnow injury analysis and outlook

Breaking down the medical prognosis and outlook for Lions C Frank Ragnow and his pectoral injury

A news bombshell dropped late Monday with the report of a Frank Ragnow pectoral injury suffered sometime during the Cardinals game on September 22, 2024. Ragnow played 100% of snaps without apparent issue, which made the news a surprise.

It was déjà vu for Lions fans as after game two of last year, CJ Gardner-Johnson surprise news dropped that he had torn his pec despite playing the entire game.

CJGJ ended up having surgery and missed 16 weeks. Fortunately, the pec injury and prognosis this year for Ragnow seems much more favorable.

Here’s what we know

Ragnow has a partial tear which means a grade 1 or 2 strain. The words tear and strain are synonymous medically, so the injury can also be called a pec strain.

While use of the word “tear” is terrifying albeit accurate, it isn’t a complete tear (grade 3) which would be a much bigger problem along the lines of CJGJ’s 16 week recovery.

Calling it week-to-week strongly suggests that surgery is not under consideration and the pec should heal well on its own.

Here’s what we don’t know

We don’t know the severity or location of the pec strain. Severity matters as it affects the healing time. A partial tear could technically be just a mild strain which might not be a big deal at all.

Location also matters, as complete tears of the pec almost always involve the tendon as opposed to the muscle body. Hopefully, Ragnow’s partial tear is not between the muscle-tendon junction and the tendon insertion point into the humerus, as those locations put him at risk for a complete tendon rupture.

OUTLOOK

A retrospective study (Sahota et al) done in 2020 of NFL players found 132 pec strains (grade 1 or 2) from 2000-2014. The average return-to-play for these players was 28 days. There was huge variability in return time but it gives a general idea of what to expect. Of note, ten of those players had surgery and missed significantly more time than those who did not have surgery. Ragnow presumably will not be having surgery.

Anecdotal data for non-surgical pec tears finds that Marcus Williams (2023) returned in four weeks and TJ Watt (2022) returned in nine weeks (the last week was a bye so he might have been ready at eight). TJ Watt reportedly did not tear the tendon.

As you can see, without knowledge of MRI results or other details, there is a wide range of when Ragnow might return.

I’m expecting him to miss the upcoming Monday night game vs the Seahawks, but a return after the bye for Week 6 vs the Cowboys is possible. Even with a longer recovery, he should be back in plenty of time for the stretch run and into the playoffs.

Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow ‘week-to-week’ with chest injury

Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow ‘week-to-week’ with chest injury, according to a report from the NFL Network

Already nursing several key injuries following the Week 3 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions got hit with another big one on Monday. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow is reportedly week-to-week after suffering a partially torn pectoral muscle in the win.

The report from Ian Rapoport is not an easy one to process for the Lions after all the other injuries coming out of the win over Arizona. Ragnow was one of Detroit’s top-graded players by PFF from the game, though he did allow a sack. There was no indication he was injured after the game.

Per Rapoport, it’s a partial tear and that leaves Ragnow’s status more optimistic than a full tear. It’s too early to know, but with the Lions having a bye after the Monday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, Ragnow sitting out the coming game to help him heal for the post-bye makes some sense.