Tag: Hunter Bryant

Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 6 injury report: Desmond Trufant doesn’t practice, Frank Ragnow limited

Examining the Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 6 injury report as they begin their preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Detroit Lions returned to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare to travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 and they had three starters unable to fully participate.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice
Hunter Bryant Concussion No Practice

Trufant missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a hamstring injury and when he returned to the field in Week 4, he reaggravated it and couldn’t finish the game. Despite having extra time to recover after the bye, Trufant was still unable to participate on Wednesday, which is not ideal. Fortunately, the Lions are prepared to handle a potential absence with Amani Oruwaroye and Jeff Okudah both ready to start.

If it wasn’t for bad luck Hunter Bryant might not have any luck at all. After missing the first four weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, Bryant is now dealing with a concussion. The Lions always take a cautious approach to head injuries, so his NFL debut may once again be put on hold.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Frank Ragnow Groin Limited Practice
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice
C.J. Moore Calf Limited Practice

Ragnow showing up as limited with a groin injury is easily the most concerning news of the day. He is the anchor of the Lions offensive line and most of the success they have originates from him in some way. This is a situation fans will want to keep a close eye on.

If Ragnow is unable to play, both Dahl — who is still technically on IR — and rookie Jonah Jackson have experience working at center, though it would be a massive downgrade from Ragnow’s elite play.

Jones was dealing with a knee injury before the bye but was able to play through it in Week 4. As long as he didn’t have a setback, he should be on track to play again in Week 6.

Like Bryant, Moore has been bitten by the injury bug in 2020. A hamstring injury kept him out of Week 1, then a groin injury prevented him from playing in Weeks 3 and 4, and now a third injury (a calf) has crept up this week. Limited is a good sign, but he’s been limited in past weeks and unable to play on Sunday, so tread lightly with expectations here.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
D’Shawn Hand Chest Full Practice
Nick Williams Shoulder Full Practice

Having both 3/5-techniques on the injury report is not ideal, but getting in a full practice is encouraging. Hand’s chest injury is a carryover from Week 4, and he was able to play through it then, so expectations are high he will be fine. Williams’ injury happened during the game against the New Orleans Saints, and the bye week has apparently given him enough time to get back on the field.

Detroit Lions Week 4 inactives: Desmond Trufant, Darryl Roberts, Christian Jones ACTIVE

The Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints have declared their Game Day inactives for their Week 4 matchup.

The Detroit Lions have declared their Game Day inactives for their Week 4 matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

The Lions elected to not elevate any players from their practice squad this week, meaning they enter today’s game with 53-players on their roster and because they have kept eight offensive linemen on their active game-day roster, they are now eligible to expand their roster from 46- to 48-players — meaning they only need to declare five players inactive.

Here are those five players.

Lions’ inactives list

  • C.J. Moore, Groin — Previously ruled OUT
  • TE Hunter Bryant, Hamstring
  • OG Logan Stenberg
  • LB Elijah Lee
  • CB Chris Jones

Moore and Lee will be a loss to the Lions special teams, but with Jayron Kearse back on the field, it’s not overly significant. Rookies Bryant and Stenberg get another week to sit back and learn, while Jones isn’t needed with the cornerback group gaining Desmond Trufant this week.

Saints inactive list

  • WR Michael Thomas, Ankle
  • TE Jared Cook, Groin
  • LG Andrus Peat, Ankle
  • EDGE Marcus Davenport, Elbow/Toe
  • CB Marcus Lattimore, Hamstring
  • CB Janoris Jenkins, Shoulder
  • DT Shy Tuttle

The Saints had all but one of their inactives determined on Friday when they declared six of their starters OUT for the game.

Detroit Lions Week 4 injury designations: Christian Jones added on Friday, listed as Questionable

The Detroit Lions have declared their injury designations ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

The Detroit Lions have declared their injury designations ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the New Orleans Saints and linebacker Christian Jones was added to the list on Friday. He and four others are listed as Questionable, while C.J. Moore is OUT, as expected.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

When asked for an update on the status of Scarbrough and Ford and their potential to return from IR, coach Matt Patricia said: “Eligible – day-by-day at this point. I think we’re getting closer, certainly with the bye week coming up, (we’re) trying to do the best we can to gauge when to get them out there and maximize everything that we can do based on if they’re ready to go.”

OUT

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
C.J. Moore Groin No Practice No Practice No Practice OUT

Moore was once again unable to practice this week and was ruled out as expected.

Questionable

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
Da’Shawn Hand Chest Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
Christian Jones Knee Not Listed Not Listed No Practice Questionable
Desmond Trufant Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
Darryl Roberts Hip Not listed Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable

Jones was unable to practice today with a knee injury, but fortunately, he was not ruled out at this time. Expect the Lions to give him another examination on Saturday, and if he clears that hurdle, he will be tested once again ahead of Sunday’s game. If he can’t go, either Jarrad Davis or Reggie Ragland will replace him in the lineup.

Trufant looks good to go. When asked about the status of his hamstring injury on Friday, Trufant said “I’m solid, bro. I’m good.” He is expected to resume his starting cornerback role on Sunday.

Roberts was added to the injury report on Thursday, and while most mid-week additions are problematic, the Free Press’ Dave Birkett is reporting that “looked fine at Lions practice today”. Roberts has been the Lions third/slot corner, but with Trufant likely joining Amani Oruwariye and Jeff Okudah, Roberts figures to slide back to the fourth cornerback role.

Hand got in a full week of limited practices, and while it’s mildly concerning that he was never upgraded to a full practice, he appears on track to play.

Bryant is the healthiest he has been since the first week of training camp, but with the Lions fielding a very healthy roster, he may still end up being a game-day inactive — which would give him two more weeks to rest up, with a bye scheduled for Week 5. If he does play, he is exactly the type of tight end that has given the Saints problems all year.

Not listed with an injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Full Practice

There are no players listed in this section at this time.

Detroit Lions Thursday Week 4 injury report: Darryl Roberts added, limited

Updating the Detroit Lions Week 4 injury report after Thursday practice.

The Detroit Lions returned to the practice field on Thursday as they prepare to host the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 and they added a new name to today’s injury report.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
C.J. Moore Groin No Practice No Practice

Moore not returning today is bad news for his availability for the weekend. He will get another shot to practice tomorrow, but even if he is able to get in a limited practice the outlook doesn’t look great.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice
Da’Shawn Hand Chest Limited Practice Limited Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice
Daryl Roberts Hip Not listed Limited Practice

Roberts was added to the injury report today and it’s not clear if this was planned ahead of time or if it happened during today’s practice. During his morning press conference, coach Matt Patricia mentioned that he thought Ty Johnson would be limited at practice but he is not on the injury report. It’s entirely possible he misspoke and said Johnson instead of Roberts — or this could be a completely separate issue.

Regardless, adding Roberts — currently, the lions starting slot corner — is not great news, but with Trufant trending up, the Lions should still have three starting level corners available on Sunday — with Amani Oruwariye and Jeff Okudah rounding out the starting group.

Speaking of Trufant, he looked very active during the portions available to the media today, per this week’s pool reporter. This could be some much-needed depth in the Lions secondary.

Another limited practice for Hand is encouraging for his status for the weekend, and with a limited defensive front, keeping him healthy is a must.

Bryant has now strung together back-to-back limited practices for the first time since training camp. With the Saints struggling to cover tight ends, if he is healthy, he could be immediately used.

“Certainly we’ve wanted to have him out there and we haven’t,” Patricia said at his morning press conference. “But he’s working his way back and we’ll progress that as much as we can through safely returning him to play and get back to that skillset of what he was showing us before he got hurt because that was really good.”

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Full Practice

There are no players listed in this section at this time.

Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 4 injury report: Desmond Trufant returns to practice

Examining the Detroit Lions injury report for Week 4 as the team prepares to take on the New Orleans Saints.

The Detroit Lions returned to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare to host the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. While a new name was added to the injury report this week, overall it is their smaller injury list of the season.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
C.J. Moore Groin No Practice

After dealing with a hamstring injury the first two weeks of the season, Moore injured his groin last week on Thursday, was unable to practice on Friday, given a questionable designation, and ruled inactive at game time. It’s not overly surprising that he is unable to practice to start the week, but if there is any chance he will be available on Sunday, he will probably need to return to practice tomorrow.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice
Da’Shawn Hand Chest Limited Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring Limited Practice

Trufant has been trending in this direction since last week, and while he was downgraded for the game last weekend, he appears to be on the path to the playing field today.

Hand has not been on the injury report this season and it’s unclear if he suffered his chest injury on Sunday or if it happened today. If he was injured on Sunday and limited today, it would point to him most likely being capable of playing on Sunday, but if he suffered the injury today, his status for the weekend would be a bit more in doubt.

On the surface, Bryant returning to the practice field today is encouraging, but it’s worth remembering that he was also able to practice last Wednesday before being downgraded in the later parts of the week and unable to play in Week 3. He will likely need a full week of practice before he is ready to make his NFL debut.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Full Practice

There are no players listed in this section at this time.

Detroit Lions Week 3 inactives: Kenny Golladay ACTIVE

Examining the Detroit Lions Week 3 inactives list as they prepare to face off against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Detroit Lions have declared their Game Day inactives for their Week 3 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Lions elected to not elevate any players from their practice squad this week, meaning they enter today’s game with 53-players on their roster. But, because the Lions have kept eight offensive linemen on their active game-day roster, they are now eligible to expand their roster from 46- to 48-players — meaning they only need to declare five players inactive.

Here are those five players.

Lions’ inactives list

  • CB Desmond Trufant, hamstring – Downgraded to OUT
  • TE Hunter Bryant, hamstring — Ruled OUT
  • RB Ty Johnson
  • OG Logan Stenberg
  • S C.J. Moore

Trufant being ruled out means another start for rookie corner Jeff Okudah. It’s unclear if Okudah will matchup up with DeAndre Hopkins, or if Amani Oruwariye will draw him, as suggested in Zack Moran’s Honolulu Blueprint, but either way, the third overall pick will be looking to bounce back after a rough start to 2020.

Cardinals inactive list

Rookie Expectations for Lions at Cardinals in Week 3

Expect the Detroit Lions to get a lot of work from their rookies against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, with two of them destined for starting roles.

The Detroit Lions are headed to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 of the 2020 season. Expect the Lions to get a lot of work from five if their rookies, with two of them destined for starting roles.

Let’s take a look at what we’re expecting out of the Lions’ rookies today:

CB Jeff Okudah

Okudah’s NFL debut last week was nothing to write home about. The rookie had a tough assignment to cover three-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams and was left in the agile receiver’s dust on multiple plays.

This week, with Desmond Trufant ruled OUT, Okudah will potentially have to cover the Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins, one of the league’s best wide receivers. Hopkins has caught 88-percent of passes thrown his way for 219 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. The three-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler makes the best defensive backs in the NFL look like rookies, so Okudah could be in for a long day.

Expect Okudah to start at cornerback this week, but don’t expect him to have much success against Arizona’s offense.

RB D’Andre Swift

Swift has had quite the rollercoaster of a rookie season so far. After scoring his first career touchdown and later dropping a would-be game-winning touchdown in Week 1, Swift went on to catch five passes for 60 yards a week later.

This week, he will go up against the Arizona Cardinals defense, which has allowed an average of almost 80 receiving yards by running backs so far this season.

Despite playing behind Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson on the depth chart, Swift is one of the top contributors on Detroit’s offense.

Given that Swift appears to have cemented his role as a receiving option from the backfield, expect him to make an impact during this matchup in Arizona.

RG Jonah Jackson

Jackson has started at right guard for the past two games and has held his own for the most part, only allowing one sack on Matthew Stafford and committing one false start penalty in those two games.

His run blocking has looked promising thus far, as the Lions’ running backs have performed well over the last two weeks. Arizona’s defense is credited with seven sacks and 14 quarterback hits so far this season, so Jackson will have a lot on his plate this week.

Expect Jackson to start at right guard again in this game versus Arizona. His successes in both run and pass blocking could improve if right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai is active.

JACK Julian Okwara

Okwara took just seven snaps on defense in Week 1 and was inactive the following week. While it is unclear whether or not he’ll take the field on Sunday, it is near-certain that he be contributing very little on defense.

OL Logan Stenberg

Stenberg has yet to play a snap as a pro, and that isn’t likely to change this week. If he is active, he will be sitting behind both Kenny Wiggins and Oday Aboushi on the depth chart.

WR Quintez Cephus

Cephus has been getting some playing time with the first-team offense while Kenny Golladay was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Golladay appears to be ready to make his debut this season, so Cephus will likely be demoted back to the fourth-option.

NT John Penisini

Penisini will once again serve as the backup nose tackle behind Danny Shelton on the defensive line. The rookie has taken just 27 defensive snaps this season but has yet to record any stats. With Arizona’s starting center Mason Cole ruled out for this game, Penisini and the Lions defensive line may have more opportunities to make plays against the run.

TE Hunter Bryant

The undrafted tight end has been ruled out once again due to his hamstring injury. This is the third week in a row he will be unable to play.

Detroit Lions Week 3 injury designations

Updating the Detroit Lions Week 3 injury report and examining their injury designations for this Sunday matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Detroit Lions roster has taken another step towards a healthy roster in Week 3, as four starters all got in another limited practice ahead of this weekend’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals — though one of them remains doubtful to play on Sunday.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

OUT

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice No Practice No Practice OUT

On Wednesday, there was some optimism Bryant had turned a corner and was preparing to play, but after two days of not practicing, he was once again ruled out for the third week in a row.

Doubtful

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Doubtful

Trufant is making the right steps forward to recovery but despite two limited practices this week, a doubtful designation is not encouraging. Expect him to be evaluated tomorrow ahead of the Lions travel day. If he clears another hurdle, he may make the trip to Arizona, if he fails the check-up, he could be downgraded before the team plane leaves Detroit.

Questionable

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
C.J. Moore Groin Not Listed Limited Practice No Practice Questionable

Golladay told reporters today that he is “definitely feeling a lot better. Wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent, I really wouldn’t even put a percentage on it. I just know I’m not 100 percent. I’m going to do everything I can and hopefully, I showed enough (in practice this week) that I can be out there” on Sunday.

Vaitai also continues to make strides towards returning, and after almost being ready last week, along with three limited practices this week, he sure looks like he will get his first start as a Lion.

Moore was added to Thursday’s injury report with a calf injury, and like most mid-week injuries, his status for the weekend is in some doubt. Like Trufant, Moore is a candidate for a Saturday downgrade before the team travels. It’s been a tough road for Moore so far in 2020 after a hamstring kept him out of Week 1 and limited him in Week 2.

Not listed with an injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Nick Williams Shoulder Limited Practice Limited Practice Full Practice No Designation

Williams getting in a full practice and not being listed with an injury designation is very encouraging as the Lions will need his interior pass rush presence.

Detroit Lions Thursday Week 3 injury report: Desmond Trufant returns to practice

Updating the Detroit Lions injury report after Thursday’s practice.

The Detroit Lions prepare to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 they took another step toward a healthier roster today, returning another starter to limited practices.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice No Practice

Patricia made a point of mentioning that Bryant wouldn’t be doing much at practice today, and that fell true, meaning he was downgraded today. The undrafted rookie could be headed for another week on the inactive list.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hamstring Limited Practice Limited Practice
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice Limited Practice
Nick Williams Shoulder Limited Practice Limited Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice Limited Practice
C.J. Moore Calf Not Listed Limited Practice

Trufant wasn’t supposed to do much today per coach Matt Patricia’s morning press conference but Dave Birkett of the Free Press is reporting that Trufant “was out there during individual doing backpedal and turn and PBU drills, working at a decent pace”. Getting in individual drills is a terrific step in the right direction for Trufant, and he will still have another opportunity to practice more on Friday, giving him an outside chance of being ready by Sunday.

Golladay continues to practice and all signs are pointing towards him making his 2020 debut. The Lions need him in order to open up their offense.

Like Golladay, Vaitai has been steadily been getting closer to return, and getting in another practice is a very encouraging step towards the Lions offense getting back another starter.

Williams is sporting a brace on his upper left arm/bicep, per Birkett, and his status for the weekend seems very much up in the air at this time.

Moore was added to the injury report today after not being listed on it yesterday which is never a good sign. It’s worth noting that this is also a different injury than he was dealing with through the first two weeks (that was a hamstring), indicating he likely injured it today.

No injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Full Practice

No players listed in this section at this time.

Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 3 injury report: Kenny Golladay returns to practice

Examining the Detroit Lions injury report for Week 3 as the team prepares to take on the Arizona Cardinals.

The Detroit Lions prepare to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, they got some good news on Wednesday with Pro Bowl wide receiver Kenny Golladay returning to practice for the first time in the 2020 regular season.

The Lions deep ball has suffered during Golladay’s absence, allowing teams to roll coverage to Marvin Jones Jr., and forcing Matthew Stafford to lean on rookie Quintez Cephus and his running backs. Getting Golladay back would help open up the Lions passing attack.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice

Trufant continuing to miss time isn’t ideal with Coleman on injured reserve, but the Lions are comfortable with Amani Oruwariye and rookie Jeff Okudah holding down the fort for now. Trufant’s injury was reportedly not longterm — and he avoided a three week IR stint — so he is expected to return this week or next.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hamstring Limited Practice
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice
Nick Williams Shoulder Limited Practice
Hunter Bryant Hamstring Limited Practice

Golladay is on the path to return and his return today, even in limited form, is an encouraging sign for the Lions offense.

Vaitai made a run at returning for last weekend’s game, before being declared inactive just before kickoff. While Tyrell Crosby has filled in respectfully in his absence, getting Vaitai back in the fold would be a boost for the Lions offensive line.

Williams’ absence was felt in last week’s game and if he is able to play this weekend, the defensive line would be able to get back to its regular rotation.

No injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Full Practice

No players listed in this section at this time.