Detroit Lions fans are unfortunately all too familiar with injury updates that can sap their hopes about the season. They have dealt with significant injuries over the last few seasons that have tanked their prospects. That is why they understandably fear the worst when they get news of a valuable contributor suffering a potential long-term injury.
Rookie Jimmy Rolder's leg injury in Friday's practice was the latest example of this. The fourth-round pick left the practice early, and the initial reports suggested that Rolder would be "out for a while."
Naturally, most fans thought that the promising linebacker's season may be over. The signing of veteran linebacker Devin White to clearly replace Rolder only contributed to these fears.
But first, NFL insider Jordan Schultz provided a somewhat optimistic update on Saturday, saying that Rolder will miss time, but that he "didn't suffer a severe injury." Then, it was Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard who gave a very encouraging update on the former Michigan Wolverine.
Lions expect Jimmy Rolder to contribute this season
Before Sunday's practice, Sheppard said that he still expects Rolder to contribute this season. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Sheppard said, "Oh, absolutely. As far as the mental and all that, he’ll still be engaged in meetings and all that with us, so I absolutely see him contributing at some point."
Neither Sheppard nor anyone on the Lions provided any more details about Rolder's injury. There is currently no timetable for his return, but this is obviously an excellent development, both for the rookie and the defensive unit.
Rolder was a bright spot during the OTAs and minicamp. Many had started to see Rolder as a potential Week 1 starter over Malcolm Rodriguez. Now, this injury will clearly be a setback for Rolder and should give Rodriguez the inside track to start next to Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes.
However, the Lions are taking the third linebacker spot next to Campbell and Barnes very seriously. After the departure of Alex Anzalone, Detroit has made a clear effort to add as much depth as possible. Before signing Devin White over the weekend, the Lions had added veteran Super Bowl champ Troy Reeder.
With the arrival of Reeder and White, the Lions will have a ton of training camp competition at linebacker. Yet, one thing is clear: Rolder will have an excellent opportunity to take over as the starter upon his return. And fortunately for the Lions, that will be sooner than many had thought 24 hours ago.
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