The Detroit Lions will once again be without star safety Kerby Joseph for their upcoming game against the Washington Commanders. The first-team All-Pro will miss his third straight game due to a knee injury he suffered during the Lions’ Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Joseph has been dealing with a knee injury since the Lions’ Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns. Although he missed the Wednesday and Thursday practices leading up to their Week 5 match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals, Joseph chose to play through the injury. This decision has proven costly for both Joseph and the Lions, as he’s missed the last three games, and his return remains uncertain.
Lions Made a Huge Mistake Letting Safety Kerby Joseph Play Through Injury
Before being sidelined with the injury, Joseph was having a solid season. In six games, Joseph posted three interceptions, four pass deflections, and 18 total tackles. Despite being limited by the injury, Joseph managed a solid level of play.
However, according to Pro Football Focus, his 59.1 overall grade ranks 60th out of 88 safeties, whereas his 66.9 run defense grade ranks 58th. This is way below his 91.3 grade from the previous season. While Joseph’s gritty, hard-nosed mentality is admirable and appreciated by Lions’ fans, playing through the injury was a terrible mistake.
The Lions’ secondary has already been devastated by numerous injuries, as they currently have five players on injured reserve. With Joseph out, the Lions have relied on newcomer Thomas Harper at free safety. Harper, 25, hadn’t appeared in a single defensive snap prior to Joseph going down. While no player can replace Joseph’s ball-hawking and tackling abilities, Harper has done a fine job filling his void.
Through three games, the second-year safety has logged five total tackles and two pass deflections, earning a 70.8 grade per PFF. Alongside Harper, the Lions have also relied on Rock-Ya Sin and Arthur Maulet to fill the voids of the other injured players. Even with the numerous injuries they’ve sustained, the Lions' defense continues to be dependable, ranking 12th in passing yards allowed (200.3) and 10th in rushing yards allowed (94.5).
Even though head coach Dan Campbell’s ‘next man up’ mentality has worked thus far, the team cannot continue to rely on it. The defense has already taken a toll with injuries, and doesn't have the depth in the secondary to afford another one. While they could go sign a free agent to bolster their depth, what they need more is for their injured players to come back.
With Joseph’s continued absence, hopefully, the Lions have learned not to let a player play through an injury early in the season. The Lions could've used Joseph’s turnover-making ability in last week’s defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, and with him playing, they could’ve won the game.
Regardless, if the Lions want to remain a championship-caliber team, they must manage their star players’ workload heading into this next stretch. Hopefully, they learned from this brutal mistake and won’t make it again.
As for Joseph, the Lions better hope that he’s able to suit up the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles, or else they’ll be in for a long game.