Tag: Joe Dahl

Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 9 injury report: 11 players OUT/limited, including 9 starters

Examining the Detroit Lions Week 9 injury report as they take the field on Wednesday in preparation to face the Minnesota Vikings.

Despite adding Matthew Stafford and Jarrad Davis to the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Detroit Lions (3-4) were cleared to return to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare to host the Minnesota Vikings (2-5) in Week 9.

What’s troubling is that there were still another 11 players listed on the injury report, including nine starters — meaning 10 players, including Stafford, that started against the Indianapolis Colts are limited or not practicing this week. Not ideal.

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

IR/PUP/Reserve-COVID-19

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip No Practice
Jamal Agnew Ribs No Practice
Taylor Decker Back No Practice
Hal Vaitai Foot No Practice
Tracy Walker Foot No Practice

Golladay’s injury is expected to keep him out of Sunday’s game, per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport earlier in the week, so it’s very possible he misses the entire week of practices as well.

Decker and Walker didn’t appear to suffer injuries during last weekend’s game and both played on 100-percent of available snaps. It’s unclear at this time if the Lions’ are taking it easy with them to start the week, or if their injuries will threaten their availability for this Sunday’s game.

Agnew and Vaitai did appear to suffer their injuries during the game and neither was able to return to the game. This is slightly more concerning, but we will likely find out how severe their injuries are after Thursday’s practice.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice
Joe Dahl Back Limited Practice
Danny Shelton Wrist Limited Practice
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring Limited Practice
Darryl Roberts Hip/Groin Limited Practice

Trufant and Roberts’ injuries are carryovers from last week, with Trufant’s preventing him from playing, while Roberts’ may have limited him to special teams only work — though it also could have been due to the return of Justin Coleman.

Hockenson, Dahl, Shelton, and Jones’ injuries are all new this week and we will likely have to wait until Thursday’s practice to get a better feel for the severity of their injuries. Limited is typically a positive, as long as they entered practice with the injury, rather than suffered one during today’s practice.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
NONE Full Practice

No players qualify for this section at this time.

Vikings Report

Detroit Lions Week 8 snap counts: Shifts in the trenches couldn’t save the Lions

Examining the Detroit Lions Week 8 snap counts to identify which players coaches leaned on and how that impacted their game strategy.

The Detroit Lions entered their Week 8 contest with the Indianapolis Colts by trying to take away their biggest strengths and that meant adjusting their offensive and defensive lines.

The offensive line once again saw a shuffling of players up front, adding Joe Dahl back into the starting lineup — this time at right guard — pushing Hal Vaitai outside to right tackle and sending Tyrell Crosby to the bench.

On defense, the Lions used each of their four interior defensive linemen on over 53-percent of plays, something we haven’t seen during this coaching staff’s tenure.

The main goal: Establish the run on offense, take it away on defense.

The results were not in the Lions’ favor.

The Lions managed just 29-yards rushing, with only eight of those yards coming from their running backs group. On defense, they faired better, but after a rough fourth quarter, they finished the day allowing a total of 119-yards, more than their previous two games combined.

That, and more observations in this week’s review of the Lions snap counts.

Detroit Lions Week 7 injury designations: Desmond Trufant ruled OUT, everyone else ready to go

Examining the Detroit Lions injury designation for Week 7 as they head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.

The Detroit Lions (2-3) will take on the Atlanta Falcons (1-5) in Week 7 and both teams are entering the contest with a relatively healthy roster. The only Lions player listed with an injury designation this week is cornerback Desmond Trufant, who has been ruled OUT.

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

Injured reserve/PUP list

Ruled OUT

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice No Practice No Practice OUT

Trufant was drafted by the Falcons in 2013 and started 97 games for them before being let go this offseason. He surely had this game circled on his calendar and has to be disappointed he will not be able to play but after two weeks of not being able to practice, his hamstring will once again keep him OUT.

Questionable

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
None

No players listed as questionable this week.

Not listed with an injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Frank Ragnow Groin No Practice Limited Practice Full Practice No designation
Joe Dahl Groin Full Practice Full Practice Full Practice No designation
Trey Flowers Wrist No Practice Limited Practice Full Practice No designation
Marvin Jones Knee No Practice Limited Practice Full Practice No designation
Danny Amendola Foot Limited Practice Limited Practice Full Practice No designation

Dahl returned from injured reserve last weekend and saw a subdued role in last Sunday’s game, not finding the field until the third offensive series. After a week of full practices, he will be cleared to return to full duty, but it’s unclear if that means he will return to his starting role at left guard.

Ragnow, Flowers, and Jones all followed the same practice participation pattern this week, taking the day off on Wednesday, getting in a limited practice on Thursday, and a full practice on Friday. No injury designation means they are ready to go for Sunday and all should start.

Amendola saw two limited practices before getting a full workload on Sunday and he should also start without issue.

Detroit Lions Thursday Week 7 injury report: Frank Ragnow, Trey Flowers, Marvin Jones practice

Examining the Detroit Lions Thursday Week 7 injury report, including the return of Frank Ragnow, Trey Flowers, and Marvin Jones to practice.

On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions (2-3) saw four starters sit out, but on Thursday, three of them returned to the practice field, leaving Desmond Trufant the only remaining starter to not practice in Week 7.

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 No Practice

Trufant has missed yet another practice, his fifth in a row spanning over the last two weeks, and it’s not looking good for him returning to face his old team — the Atlanta Falcons.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Frank Ragnow Groin No Practice Limited Practice
Trey Flowers Wrist No Practice Limited Practice
Marvin Jones Knee No Practice Limited Practice
Danny Amendola Foot Limited Practice Limited Practice

Ragnow, Flowers, and Jones all returned to practice on Thursday, suggesting Wednesday was somewhat of a rest day for veterans who have been dealing with an uncomfortable injury. All three managed to play a full allotment of snap last week and all appear to be on track to play this week.

Amendola gets another limited practice and things are also looking up for his availability in Week 7.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Joe Dahl Groin Full Practice Full Practice

Dahl looks to be recovered from his groin injury but where he fits in along the offensive line is still to be determined. Will he return to his starting role at left guard? Will he come off the bench like last week? Will it matter what is technical role is if the guard rotation continues? We may not know these answers until Sunday.

Detroit Lions Wednesday Week 7 injury report: Frank Ragnow, Trey Flowers, Marvin Jones, and Desmond Trufant don’t practice

Examining the Detroit Lions Wednesday injury report as they get ready for a Week 7 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Detroit Lions (2-3) returned to the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare to travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons (1-5) in Week 7, and four Lions starters missed practice today.

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
Frank Ragnow Groin No Practice
Marvin Jones Knee No Practice
Trey Flowers Wrist No Practice
Desmond Trufant Hamstring No Practice

Ragnow injured his groin last week Wednesday, missed Thursday’s practice, returned Friday, and was able to play every offensive snap on Sunday. This is most likely a maintenance day for his injury but worth keeping an eye on.

Jones and Flowers were also able to play their full complement of snaps on Sunday, so this may also be rest days for banged-up veterans, but it could also be something that popped up after the game, which would be more concerning.

Trufant’s revenge game against the Falcons may be put on hold as he is once again starting the week off unable to practice. If he can’t play, Amani Oruwariye and Jeff Okudah have held down the fort admirably in his stay.

Limited Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Danny Amendola Foot Limited Practice

Amendola is another new name on the injury report this week. Limited is a good sign, and with his work ethic, expect him to do everything in his power to be available on Sunday.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Joe Dahl Groin Full Practice

Dahl spent three weeks on injured reserve because of his groin but was able to return to practice last week and contributed in a limited role against the Jaguars. A full practice is a great sign and it’s possible the offensive line gets shaken up again if he is ready to reclaim his starting role at left guard.

It’s worth noting that Da’Shawn Hand (chest), Nick Williams (shoulder), Christian Jones (knee), and C.J. Moore (calf) were listed on last week’s injury report and are no longer listed this week, indicating they’re good to go moving forward.

Lions make series of roster moves ahead of Week 6 matchup

The Detroit Lions have made a series of roster moves ahead of their Week 6 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Detroit Lions have made a series of roster moves ahead of their Week 6 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The biggest move is the return of starting guard Joe Dahl, who was activated from injured reserve and placed on the 53-man roster. His return will allow the Lions to potentially trot out their preferred starting five offensive linemen, while also having coverage at center if Frank Ragnow is unable to play. Ragnow is currently listed as questionable, but the fact that he was not downgraded to out today is a solid sign he will get a chance to test his groin in pre-game and could still potentially play.

The Lions have also signed quarterback David Blough off of their practice squad and placed him on the active roster. It’s not totally clear why the Lions felt the need to make this move at this time, as the Lions have yet to use Chase Daniel for a single snap so far this season, but it’s possible another team tried to poach him off the practice squad and the Lions offered to sign him to keep him in Detroit.

Update: Chris Burke of The Athletic confirmed our speculations that Blough was indeed offered a contract from the Dallas Cowboys and that led to the Lions signing him.

To make room for Dahl and Blough, the Lions placed rookie tight end Hunter Bryant on injured reserve on Friday and released cornerback Chris Jones on Saturday in corresponding moves.

Additionally, the Lions elected to take advantage of a new COVID-19 rule for 2020, and have elevated tight end Isaac Nauta from the practice squad to the active roster. Nauta will be allowed to play on Sunday — a move that makes sense with only two other tight ends on the roster — and following the game, he will revert to the Lions practice squad and will not be subject to waivers.

Lions activate Joe Dahl to the 53-man roster

The Detroit Lions announced starting guard Joe Dahl has been removed from injured reserve and placed back on the 53-man roster.

On Friday the Detroit Lions placed rookie tight end Hunter Bryant on injured reserve, freeing up a spot on the 53-man roster. Today, the Lions filled that spot by removing starting guard Joe Dahl from injured reserve and placing him back on the active roster.

After a solid Week 1 outing, Dahl injured his groin during Week 2 practices and was placed on injured reserve. After three weeks of recovery, Dahl returned to the practice field this week and coach Matt Patricia was pleased with what he saw.

“I thought on Wednesday with the pads on, I thought Joe looked pretty good,” Patricia said at his Friday press conference. “Came out, his pad level was good, I thought he moved well, that was a good competitive practice for us.”

The Lions have been shuffling their offensive line all season, and now with Dahl back in the fold, the Lions have a chance to put their preferred combination on the filed — assuming Frank Ragnow can overcome his questionable tag and resume his role at center.

If Ragnow is unable to play, Dahl could be the preferred option to take over at center. Jonah Jackson also has experience at the position, but asking the rookie to start at three different positions over his first five games is a big ask — but not out of the question.

At the end of the day, the Lions appear to favor a Top-6 offensive linemen with a debate about who is number five and who is number six — choosing between Hal Vaitai and Tyrell Crosby, who can both play tackle and guard. If Ragnow plays, one of them will be on the bench. If Ragnow is out, both play and a shuffling of players on the interior begins.

Here’s a look at some of the offensive line combinations we could see on Sunday.

The original starting 5

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Taylor Decker Joe Dahl Frank Ragnow Jonah Jackson Hal Vaitai

Crosby outplays Vaitai

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Taylor Decker Joe Dahl Frank Ragnow Jonah Jackson Tyrell Crosby

Dahl replaces an injured Ragnow

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Taylor Decker Jonah Jackson Joe Dahl Hal Vaitai Tyrell Crosby

Jackson replaces an injured Ragnow

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Taylor Decker Joe Dahl Jonah Jackson Hal Vaitai Tyrell Crosby

We will have to wait until Sunday to see how it plays out, but any which way, Dahl returning couldn’t have come at a better time.

Joe Dahl, Bo Scarbrough, and Mike Ford return to Lions practice, remain on IR for now

Starting guard Joe Dahl, reserve running back Bo Scarbrough, and reserve cornerback Mike Ford will return to practice on Wednesday, but their health is still being evaluated and they will remain on injured reserve for the time being.

The Detroit Lions announced that starting guard Joe Dahl, reserve running back Bo Scarbrough, and reserve cornerback Mike Ford will return to practice on Wednesday.

Currently, their health is still being evaluated — the Lions have a 21-day window before they need to make a decision on their roster status — and they will remain on injured reserve for the time being.

Once healthy, all three players are eligible to return to the 53-man roster at any time, and if they are activated, a corresponding move will be required. If a player is not healthy, the Lions have the option to place them on season-ending injured reserve.

Getting Dahl back would be a big boost for the Lions offensive line, but it will also force the Lions to put a player who has been starting on the bench, and at this time it’s not clear who that would be.

If Dahl returns to his starting left guard spot, it will likely push rookie Jonah Jackson — who has been playing at a high level — back to right guard. If that happens, it will put Hal Vaitai in competition with Tyrell Crosby at right tackle and it at this point, Crosby has looked better through four games than Vaitai has looked through two — though Vaitai has been playing out of his natural position.

Coach Matt Patricia did not offer much insight on how this would play out at his morning press conference.

If Scarbrough returns, he will take on the Lions fourth running back role, but as we saw with Ty Johnson, that spot’s touches are few and far between. It’s worth noting that Kerryon Johnson was injured in Week 4 and we have not gotten an update on his availability, but if he is injured for multiple weeks, that will open up an opportunity for Scarbrough.

If Mike Ford is able to return he will be in direct competition with Chris Jones at corner depth and will give the Lions special teams a boost. Ford should hold the edge in his battle with Jones.

It’s worth noting that starting nickel corner Justin Coleman, who is also eligible to return from injured reserve, is apparently not ready to begin practicing at this time.

Starters Joe Dahl and Justin Coleman eligible to return from Injured Reserve

Starting left guard Joe Dahl and starting slot corner Justin Coleman are now eligible to return from Injured Reserve.

Starting left guard Joe Dahl and starting slot corner Justin Coleman are now eligible to return from the Detroit Lions short-term Injured Reserve — but don’t expect them to be activated just yet.

Dahl started the season off on a great note, showing a marked improvement in his run blocking, but a mid-week groin injury ahead of Week 2 landed him on IR. In Dahl’s place, the Lions promoted Oday Aboushi to starting left guard, but he struggled in Week 2, forcing a shift on the offensive line.

Right tackle Hal Vaitai returned in Week 3, and in an effort to keep their best starting five offensive linemen on the field, they kept Tyrell Crosby at right tackle, shifted Vaitai inside to right guard, and rookie right guard Jonah Jackson to left guard. They repeated this lineup in Week 4.

How the Lions alter their starting five once Dahl returns is a bit of an unknown at this point and there are several unanswered questions:

  • Will they keep the same five they have used in the last two weeks?
  • Will they pick their best five and shuffle players are around again? This is probably what will happen, but who are the top five?
  • Crosby is outplaying Vaitai, but will they be willing to put one of their top free agents on the bench?
  • Or will Vaitai shift inside and bump the rookie Jackson? That’d be a hard sell because Jackson has also been outplaying Vaitai.

Before any of those questions can even be answered, Dahl has to actually return to the active roster, which may not happen just yet.

While Dahl is eligible to return at any time, he may still be injured, which could delay a return. The Lions are also on their bye week, meaning there is no rush to active Dahl, as activating him would force the team to make a corresponding roster move. Instead, expect them to keep Dahl in the 21-day evaluation period, thus allowing them to have an expanded roster to evaluate over the next two weeks.

Coleman returning is a little more cut and dry. Darryl Roberts has been manning the slot in Coleman’s absence, and this (eventual) move will bump Roberts back into a reserve role — though expect Coleman’s return to also be delayed for roster purposes.

The Lions still have three corners — Desmond Trufant, Amani Oruwariye, and Jeff Okudah — battling for two spots on the outside, but Trufant was re-injured last game, which could open up the opportunity for the young corners. If Trufant is healthy after the bye, expect the young corners to rotate as they did in Week 4, while Coleman start

One final note: Running back Bo Scarbrough and corner Mike Ford became eligible to return from IR last week, so keep an eye out for potential roster moves involving them in the near future as well.

Detroit Lions place Joe Dahl on I.R., sign Kenny Wiggins off of practice squad

The Detroit Lions announced they have placed left guard Joe Dahl on injured reserve and signed Kenny Wiggins off of practice squad in a corresponding move.

The Detroit Lions announced they have placed left guard Joe Dahl on injured reserve and signed Kenny Wiggins off of practice squad in a corresponding move.

Dahl injured his groin in Thursday’s practice and like most mid-week injuries, there were some longterm implications. He will likely be replaced by Oday Aboushi in the starting lineup at left guard and Wiggins will fill in as a reserve alongside Logan Stenberg.

Dahl will be out for a minimum of three weeks, meaning he will be out through the Lions bye in Week 5, and could potentially return to the active roster for the Lions Week 6 game in Jacksonville.

Wiggins — who can play at both guard spots, as well as, at right tackle — has played in 31 games for the Lions over the last two-plus years, including starting 13 and being heavily involved in the guard rotation in 2019. He appears to be behind Aboushi in the pecking order in 2020, but it’s too early to tell if the Lions would lean on his veteran experience over the up and coming rookie Stenberg.