Getty D'Andre Swift runs on the field during Lions training camp.
Hopes were high for the Detroit Lions to get healthier over their bye week, but it appears the team was simply too dinged up for even that to occur.
While the news is good for several Lions such as wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back D’Andre Swift, multiple other players continued to be sidelined with their various ailments to start a new week.
During practice, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press got an up close look at what was going on, and to him, the number of players missing was very interesting and concerning given the time the team had off.
Bye week didn’t do wonders for the Lions’ injury situation. No Chark, Josh Reynolds, Bobby Price, Iffy or Matt Nelson at practice today. No Decker, either, though that’s likely personal. Swift was back. St. Brown, too. Reynolds running on the side with trainers. Lions
“Bye week didn’t do wonders for the Lions’ injury situation. No Chark, Josh Reynolds, Bobby Price, Iffy or Matt Nelson at practice today. No Decker, either, though that’s likely personal. Swift was back. St. Brown, too. Reynolds running on the side with trainers,” Birkett tweeted.
Obviously, this isn’t great news for the Lions, but many of the players on the list could still play, providing they can rally this week and get completely healthy ahead of Sunday.
Swift’s Possible Game Status Revealed for Sunday
If there was one player who used the bye to get the healthiest, in addition to St. Brown, it was Swift. The running back dealt with an ankle injury early in Week 1, and has not been able to shake it since.
Swift sat down in Week 5, and as he continues to fight through, things seem to be trending in a better direction for him in terms of health. As he told reporters including Birkett after practice, he’s pushing for a return.
“Lions RB D’Andre Swift on if he’ll play Sunday: “I’m pushing towards that,” Birkett tweeted after listening to Swift.
Should Swift be able to go, that would be a major win for the Lions considering what he means and has meant for the team’s offense. Even if Swift plays, however, the Lions should keep him limited and try to hold the wear and tear off of him the rest of the season to keep him healthy.
If St. Brown could go with him, that would be a big deal for the Lions, too. It would allow their offense to be much more diverse than it was during Week 5’s shutout loss.
Obviously, Swift’s case will go down to the wire, but this is as good of news as fans have enjoyed in multiple weeks for the star runner.
Lions’ Week 7 Injury Report vs. Cowboys
Heading into this week, the Lions are in a pretty desperate state once again with the injuries, although some of these players may end up playing in the end. Nevertheless, it’s not great news to see so many important pieces still on the shelf.
Here’s how the week has started for the Lions:
Heading toward the end of the week, Lions fans will want to keep an eye on several different cases here. While the news may not be good for Chark, the hope is that he can shake off whatever trouble is slowing him down to play. Others, such as Will Harris, Charles Harris, Ragnow and Cominsky could ill-afford to be shelved this week for the team given the vital position they play.
The Lions remain very hurt, and might be once again looking at a week without multiple impact players if the first report holds true.