With the NFL Scouting Combine a week away, the Detroit Lions have plenty to worry about. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022, the Lions are looking to maximize their championship window. That task is a lot harder as players age out and recover from injury, but both concerns have been there for safety Kerby Joseph.
Joseph played just six games last season due to a chronic knee condition, and his health was a big concern when last season ended. While all was quiet over the past six weeks, Joseph just gave a reminder of his situation when he posted a picture of himself receiving acupuncture treatment (h/t @woodwardsports) on his Instagram story Tuesday evening.
While it’s unknown what the exact condition of Joseph’s knee is at this point in the offseason, his posting pushes the injury to the forefront of the Lions’ concerns as they prepare for the combine and the start of free agency.
Kerby Joseph’s Knee Remains a Major Offseason Concern for Lions
The photo of Joseph’s knee has generated a mixed response. Jimmy Liao M.D. of The Lions Wire suggested that it was “a positive sign for his mental state” as Joseph has not posted on social media recently; however, Lions fans were quick to point out that the knee still appears to be swollen, which would be a bad sign considering he hasn’t played in a game since Week 6.
Of course, this is nothing new for Lions fans. According to Liao, Joseph’s knee had been a concern when he was bothered by an unspecified left knee issue in the first few weeks of training camp. While he returned to practice on Aug. 21, he was listed on the Week 2 injury report and stayed there until he aggravated the knee on an interception return in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Although he returned with a knee brace the following week, he was injured again in a Week 6 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and didn’t return to the field. Joseph was never placed on injured reserve, and Liao speculated it was originally diagnosed as a 4-to-6 week injury, as “cartilage effects and recovery are difficult to forecast.”
It was later revealed to be a chronic condition, leading to Joseph admitting his knee was “messed up,” adding, “You don’t fix it. You just keep the faith.”
After sitting the rest of the season, general manager Brad Holmes acknowledged the safety position, which was further weakened by Brian Branch’s torn Achilles last December, was a position that was “not going to be ignored.” He also mentioned that the primary goal is to get Joseph healthy for 2026.
“Early in training camp, when he was going out there, it looked like he was Kerby, and then it just started to kind of going down from there,” Holmes said via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He was still a productive player in the games that he was out there from a ball-production standpoint, which – I didn’t put a number on the percentage that he was from a health standpoint, but the main goal is just get him healthy.”
It’s unknown when exactly Joseph’s photo was taken, but it should be an alarm for the Lions' front office. Avonte Maddox is a free agent after spending time at safety in Joseph’s absence last season, and while Thomas Harper is still on the roster, Detroit could look for competition with a cheap free agent.
This year’s class is also strong at the safety position with Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman, and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren as top prospects that could be selected in the first two days.
Whatever the Lions decide, Joseph’s photo was a reminder of one of their top offseason priorities, and it could lead to a big move as Detroit reshapes its roster for 2026.