History might be repeating itself in Detroit. One year after the Detroit Lions’ injury-ridden 2024 season, the Lions are once again dealing with a slew of injuries on defense, with an already short-handed secondary.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell confirmed in a press conference on Monday that cornerbacks Terrion Arnold, DJ Reed and Khalil Dorsey will be out indefinitely, saying that Arnold and Dorsey in particular will be out for “a while.” DJ Reed, who suffered a hamstring injury during Week 4, was placed on IR last week.
Advertisement
Arnold and Dorsey made an appearance on the Lions’ Week 5 injury report, with a shoulder injury and wrist injury, respectively. Dorsey did not play on Sunday in Detroit’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Arnold, meanwhile, returned to full practice last week (and got a sack and two defended passes in Sunday’s game), but is now expected to miss significant time.
“Unfortunately, he’s gonna be out for a while. Gonna be out for a long time,” Campbell said of Arnold on Monday.
The trio of injured cornerbacks leaves the Lions’ secondary heavily depleted. The team also placed CB Ennis Rakestraw on IR with a shoulder injury in August, ruling him out for the entire season.
Campbell said that they’ll be watching Monday Night Football to see how the Kansas City Chiefs, their Week 6 opponent, fare before deciding whether to tweak the defensive plan.
Advertisement
“We could alter some things. We’re gonna help our personnel the best we can. We always do that, for every game,” Campbell said.
The early streak of defensive injuries bears an unfortunate resemblance to last season, when Detroit’s promising start was stifled by a number of devastating injuries. It started with star linebacker Aidan Hutchinson, who was sidelined with a gruesome leg injury in October. From there, a number of other key defenders were placed on IR, including several linebackers and defensive ends.
On Monday, Campbell noted the similarities between the two seasons, though last year’s problem was primarily with the defensive line, while this year it’s been the secondary. But the approach, he said, is the same.
“It really is the same as last year,” Campbell said. “We’ll adjust, we’ll adapt and we move on.
“This train doesn’t stop for anybody,” he continued. “Doesn’t matter who it is or what it is, we gotta go. Nobody cares, nobody’s gonna feel sorry for you. You’re putting your best 22 out there, offense, defense and special teams, and you’ve gotta find a way to win a game.”
Read the full article here
