A week after Brian Branch made his season debut for the Detroit Lions, his partner in the defensive backfield is inching towards his return to action. Kerby Joseph, who has been sidelined since Week 6 of last season, has finally returned to practice. The Lions opened his 21-day activation window on Wednesday. Now, he has three weeks to be activated off the PUP list.
This is certainly an exciting development for the Lions. Over the last year, it seemed like Joseph's NFL career was in jeopardy. He had tried to make his return several times, but the nagging knee injuries prevented him from ramping up to game condition. He was eventually placed on injured reserve in December and hasn't been able to return to practice.
There was a lot of uncertainty about Joseph's health and his future in the league. Many had written him off as a potential contributor for the Lions. Now, Detroit can treat Joseph as a trade deadline acquisition, bringing two of the best safeties in the league together once again.
Kerby Joseph still needs some time before his return to action
But it's important for Lions fans to temper expectations. Head coach Dan Campbell alluded to this in his press conference this week. He said that while it's great to have Joseph back out there, "we still have a ways to go, per Lions insider Brad Galli.
Campbell praised the 25-year-old safety for overcoming a lot of hurdles so far and said that this was "a step in the right direction." He said that he has passed all the tests regarding how his knee would react to the increased workload, but now it's about seeing how he "reacts to football, movement skills of true football with real bodies and the intensity of it," per DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman.
Joseph is certainly pumped to be back on the field with his teammates. He has been active on social media, teasing his return with his posts and workout videos. But the Lions are taking things slowly.
In Thursday's injury report, Joseph was listed as a limited participant. Presumably, he will have to go through a couple of weeks of practice without any setbacks for the Lions to feel confident about getting him back out there.
If the Lions don't activate Joseph at the end of 21 days, he will remain on the PUP list and will not be eligible this season.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that, not only for the star ballhawk's sake, but also for the Lions' Super Bowl viability. Despite the improved defense over the last several weeks, the Lions could certainly use an upgrade in the defensive backfield. If Joseph resembles anything like his pre-injury self, then Lions fans can feel much better about their chances of contention this season.
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