The Detroit Lions have dealt with plenty of injuries this season, and they’ll be dealing with another one that will end the season of a top prospect.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions will shut down cornerback Jeff Okudah with a groin injury. Okudah will undergo surgery and be out for the rest of the season as a result of the ailment.
Per a source, Lions CB Jeff Okudah is out for the season, will undergo groin surgery next week.
Okudah has been dinged up nearly from the start of the season until this point. He started the year by being sat down for the opening game against Chicago in Week 1 and never rebounded with consistent play. It’s possible a big reason was this injury, which could have been lingering.
Jeff Okudah Rookie Stats
So far this season, Okudah hasn’t been the statistical dynamo that folks expected coming out of the draft. He collected only 47 tackles, 1 interception and 2 passes defended and those are the numbers he will finish with. This year, Okudah has been more known for the plays he has given up on the field in certain weeks rather than the ones he has made on the field.
In college, Okudah was known for playing solid man coverage but so far, that has not translated to the NFL. After a tough rookie year, he will have to heal up and set about improving for next season.
Lions Fans Must Be Patient With Jeff Okudah
If there’s one thing that can be said, it’s Okudah will get back in the lab and try to improve quickly from the messes he has seen this season. He’s been described as a football junkie by his Ohio State coaches. Okudah isn’t likely to burn the tape from his rookie debut this season, but rather use it to improve and study it intently as a means of improvement. It’s likely he will be even more frustrated by his debut this season than the angriest fans will have been.
This past offseason, Okudah was said to already be studying wideouts he will match wits with routinely such as Davante Adams. That’s only likely to continue. Essentially, he’s been learning on the job, so it could have been a reasonable expectation to think that Okudah could be lost at times as a rookie. In time, as Okudah gains more confidence and understands the league more, some modest strides could be expected to be made in the future.
It’s possible that Okudah struggled a lot due to injury this season, so fans must remember this and give him a chance to heal up, do some more learning and come back even stronger in the near future.
The significant bet is Okudah will improve greatly in time following what was a rough debut in his rookie season. It’s never easy to ask Lions fans to be patient, but in this particular case, it’s the only realistic command.
Hopefully, Okudah gets healthy most of all and finds a way to come back stronger than ever during the 2021 season under a new coaching staff.
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Lions Will Reportedly Shut Down Top Rookie Defender With Injury