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Training camp starts this coming week for the Detroit Lions, and the team took care of some housekeeping on Sunday ahead of players beginning to report.
As expected, the Lions are dealing with more than a few injury situations, and the first ones revealed represent some tough news for players that the team may have hoped would be able to make a quicker return to the field.
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The Lions revealed that cornerback Jerry Jacobs, edge Romeo Okwara and defensive lineman Josh Paschal will start on the active/PUP list. Joining them on the active/NFI list is wideout Jameson Williams and defender Natrez Patrick.
“Lions announce the following transactions: Placed Jerry Jacobs, Romeo Okwara and Josh Paschal on Active/PUP. Placed Jameson Williams and Natrez Patrick on Active/Non-Football Injury,” the team tweeted.
All of these players will now take their time getting back, and could face various returns to the roster in the weeks ahead. Their returns will be determined by where the team thinks all of them are at and where they can trend with the medical staff.
Injury Designations Represent Snags for Multiple Lions
The fact that the Lions have multiple players on the list isn’t an issue, but rather, the players that are on the list are more of the concern. Specifically, the Lions likely had hoped they could get Romeo Okwara back into the fold sooner. Back in June, Dan Campbell seemed as if he felt that Okwara could be ticketed for a camp return even though he offered no concrete update. Okwara, though, is coming off an ACL injury and was arguably the furthest along time-wise of all Detroit’s bigger recoveries. Jacobs is on the edge of return as well, and has made what looks like his own progress in the offseason.
In terms of Williams, the Lions were expecting him to be sidelined to start camp, so this is not much of a surprise. While the team would hope for him to return sooner, the hope is likely still that he can push for a midseason return to the Lions.
Jeff Okudah’s Status Represents Silver Lining
Even though the Lions have multiple players on the PUP and NFI list to start camp, there was one important name that was missing which represented a silver lining for the team in a big way. Cornerback Jeff Okudah, who has spent the offseason rehabbing his own ACL injury, was not on the list. Chris Burke of The Athletic pointed that out in a tweet.
While the Lions are no doubt frustrated to see others on the list adjusting to get ready, the fact that Okudah is ready to go and will not have to start camp on an injury list is significant. It’s a big season for Okudah, who needs to bounce back and prove himself after injury has slowed the start to his career.
Detroit has a few players yet to get healthy, but at the very least, Okudah has a chance to hit the ground running. The news might not be as good for names like Jacobs and Okwara right off the bat,
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