The Detroit Lions were hit with the injury bug early in training camp. Several key contributors suffered serious injuries that were expected to keep them out for an extended period of time. One of those was rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder.
On July 31, the fourth-round pick suffered a leg injury that has sidelined him since then. The initial reporting at the time said that Rolder would be "out for a while," per Detroit Football Network's Justin Rogers. NFL insider Jordan Schultz had said that the talented defender would "miss some time."
However, both reports ruled out a severe injury as it was initially feared. Later, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said that he still expected Rolder to "contribute at some point" in his rookie season.
Even though a clear timetable wasn't given, this suggested that Rolder would miss at least the rest of training camp. The fact that the Lions quickly moved to sign veteran linebacker Devin White confirmed this suspicion.
It turns out that Rolder's outlook is better than these initial reports suggested. The former Michigan standout provided a very optimistic return timeline on Tuesday.
Jimmy Rolder is hoping to be back in practice next week
In his appearance on X's and BrO's, Rolder said that his leg is feeling better and that he is making some strides, per Josh Helmer of Lions Wire. Rolder then said, "Hopefully I’ll be back out there in a week. Week or so. We’ll see."
This doesn't necessarily mean that Rolder will be available to play in Week 1, but it is a much earlier-than-anticipated return date. He should be able to get some practices in before the August 30 roster cutdown date.
Many assumed that Rolder would start the season on the injured reserve list, which would mean that he would miss the first four weeks of the season. If he returns to action next week, however, things can get complicated in Detroit's linebacker room.
Before he suffered the injury, Rolder was a bright spot of the offseason. He looked more NFL-ready than expected, and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before he took over as the starter over Malcolm Rodrigues. Whether this injury has slowed down Rolder's momentum remains to be seen, but he now faces more competition after Devin White's arrival.
White may have done enough to earn himself a spot on the 53-man roster, but Rolder's early return likely puts Damone Clark and Trevor Nowaske at risk of missing out. Who makes the final cut and how the rotation shakes out will depend on how the next two weeks go.
Add us as a preferred source on Google