The Detroit Lions are in the second week of their organized team activities. They have another round of OTAs next week before coming together for the mandatory minicamp on June 16. After that, they go on a summer break to reconvene for the training camp. After that, the marathon begins as the Lions will hope to make a Super Bowl run.
As we are still weeks away from training camp, there isn't too much to be gained from the OTAs. The most important takeaways will be on the injury front.
Lions are being patient with their injured stars during the OTAs
The Lions have multiple key starters dealing with injuries from last season. Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta, Kerby Joseph, and Terrion Arnold all ended last season on the injured reserve. Detroit is seemingly in no rush to get these players back on the field.
Last week, Dan Campbell had said that it was "not the priority" to have his injured players take part in the OTAs or the mandatory minicamp, before adding, "it's not worth all that anyway," per Dave Birkett of Detroit Free Press.
As a result, it wasn't all that surprising to see Joseph, Branch, and Arnold all missing Round 1 of OTAs. LaPorta, on the other hand, did jog-throughs last week. Per Jimmy Liao, MD, this jog-through "reassures that there hasn’t been a setback and keeps him on track to be ready for the season." He went on to suggest that he "could be doing everything," and that the Lions are being overly cautious.
Campbell and the Lions have made abundantly clear all offseason that they aren't placing too much importance on spring and early summer. Their priority is to get everyone back healthy for training camp and the start of the season. Therefore, Lions fans shouldn't be too worried about where their injured players are in their recovery.
Liao shared that he doesn't expect LaPorta to do more than jog-throughs for the rest of the OTAs and said that Branch and Joseph are unlikely to participate.
It sounds like LaPorta is the closest to returning to action among the three players. The star tight end underwent herniated disc surgery in November. Branch suffered a very serious Achilles rupture in December, so he is the least likely to be a full participant in practice any time soon. Joseph's injury, on the other hand, is more about managing the knee. The Lions are unlikely to risk his bothersome knee until closer to the start of the season.
Arnold's injury is the one to watch. His absence was perhaps the most surprising one last week. He was expected to be available after undergoing two shoulder surgeries back in December 2025, but he was held out. Whether that will change this week remains to be seen.
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