It's been a bit over a year since we last saw star safety Kerby Joseph take the field. The Detroit Lions' playmaker has been dealing with a complex knee injury that ended his season, to the point that some even doubted he'd be able to suit up at all this season.
Fortunately, it looks like that won't be the case. He's been practicing for a while now, and his camp and the Lions have teased his return with some workout clips on social media. If anything, his season debut sounds imminent.
However, that's not gonna happen in Week 9 vs. the Miami Dolphins. According to head coach Dan Campbell, they will continue to ramp him up in practice this week, but he'll have to watch from the sidelines a little longer.
The Detroit Lions won't have Kerby Joseph on the field in Week 9
“We’re going to try and give him some scout team reps. He’s not going to play this game,” Campbell said. “I know that (question) was coming. He’s not playing vs. Miami. He’s just going to get some reps in practice.”
The Lions are rolling right now. They're currently riding a three-game winning streak and have won consecutive divisional games, so they can afford to keep Joseph on the shelf for a little while and let everyone else handle business.
The Miami Dolphins' offense shouldn't pose much of a threat to Kelvin Sheppard's defense, though the Lions struggled to close out lesser teams earlier in the season. That said, they should do just fine with rookie Keith Abney II, Chuck Clark, and Brian Branch at safety.
Things will get a bit more complicated when they face the New England Patriots in Week 10, so it makes sense to save their ball-hawk safety for their matchup against Drake Maye. Even then, they might keep him on a pitch count, though they've given their injured stars a long leash whenever they've gotten back to full strength.
The Lions had the worst pass defense in pro football through the first three weeks of the regular season. Things didn't look good, and some were even asking for Sheppard's dismissal and for some big moves to be made.
Props to Coach Campbell and Brian Holmes for trusting their vision and staying patient. And while they should still be in the trade market for a cornerback, especially with D.J. Reed set to miss his first game of the season, their safety room might be one of the best in the game once Joseph is back in the fold.
That's precisely why they're erring on the side of caution with their defensive center fielder, but it shouldn't be much longer before he's roaming free in the secondary.
Add us as a preferred source on Google