The Detroit Lions’ secondary will be missing a few key starters in their primetime clash against the Philadelphia Eagles. One of those players is veteran cornerback DJ Reed, who was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury following Detroit’s Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns at home.
This week, fans got some good news about Reed, who popped up on the Week 11 injury report as a limited participant. Reed told reporters that he’s ready to play, but also made sure to say it's not his call.
The Lions ultimately ruled out the veteran defensive back for Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, his official return is in sight despite this unfortunate news.
Lions Should Consider Bringing DJ Reed Back in Week 13 vs. Packers
Since he was only a limited participant at practice this week, the Lions will likely wait to see if he can practice in full next week. If that were to happen, fans will be itching to see Reed on the field in Week 12 against the New York Giants.
However, if you’re Dan Campbell or defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, you should not be in a rush to play Reed against a Giants’ offense that doesn’t have a bunch of threats at WR.
If Terrion Arnold can clear the concussion protocol this week, the Lions should be okay with him and Amik Robertson on the outside for at least a week. On Wednesday, Detroit designated the veteran defender to return from injured reserve, officially opening his 21-day practice window.
Therefore, the Lions could wait to activate Reed until their Week 13 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, which is the perfect time to do so. Green Bay’s passing game hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders recently, but the Lions could use Reed to cover Romeo Doubs or Christian Watson.
In the Lions’ first meeting against the Packers in Week 1, the 5-foot-9 cornerback gave up 34 yards on two completions (three targets) and had a 104.9 passer rating allowed when targeted.
Since Week 1, Reed saw his passer rating noticeably dip in the next three games and average out to 30.3, which is outstanding. The Lions hope that Reed can return to that level of his play when it's his time.