There might not be many people in Detroit happier to see Kerby Joseph’s return to the gridiron than defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. The All-Pro has worked his way to full fitness when there was uncertainty over his future even a few weeks ago. The welcome news could certainly ease some pressure on Sheppard, whose defense, particularly the secondary, has struggled with consistency this season.
Kelvin Sheppard talked to the media yesterday, expressing his delight to have the safety back in the squad.
“I know it’s kind of sound like a tape recorder right now from what, three weeks ago, three, four weeks ago with (Brian Branch) coming back, but it’s the same process, trusting the player,” said Sheppard on Thursday. “Now he’s going to fight somebody for anything like, no, you’re not taking that rep backup. But he wants it all.”
Kerby Joseph returned to the team’s practice for the first time this season on Wednesday. After being out of action for over a year because of a chronic cartilage condition in his knee last season, he only played 6 games, making it a significant blow for the secondary last year.
Earlier, Dan Campbell refused to give a timeline to the All-Pro safety’s return, but with his return this week, much of the credit goes to Kerby himself alongside the Lions staff who guided him during the rehabilitation.
Kelvin Sheppard Credits Lions’ Medical Staff For Kerby Joseph’s Return
Getting Kerby Joseph back on the field was far from an ordinary process. Given he had a chronic cartilage condition in the knee, he didn’t opt for a traditional surgery done by a player after tearing an ACL or Achilles. The Lions medical team and staff took a day-to-day approach in his recovery, which was acknowledged by Kelvin Sheppard in the same interview.
“They’ve done a tremendous job getting this player (Kerby Joseph) back. A couple months ago, everybody thought it was over,” said Sheppard, praising the Lions’ medical team. ”That takes all hands on deck with the performance team, the strength and conditioning team and preparing this player to be at the point he’s at and that’s ready to play some football.”
Even though he is back in the mix, it doesn’t mean Sheppard will play Joseph in the next game against the Vikings this weekend, and he may require a little more time to get back in the starting lineup, similar to his fellow safety Brian Branch.
Lions May Avoid Rushing Kerby Joseph Back Into Action
Brian Branch, who also recovered from a knee injury, officially joined the practice on October 7. However, he was ruled out of the Cardinals game and had further rest in bye week before making his season debut against the Packers.
Given the careful approach taken by Lions management, they are likely to follow a similar process for Kerby Joseph’s return to the field. If his football conditioning is at an acceptable level and his knee can withstand physical drills, there is a chance he could accompany Branch against the Dolphins or the Patriots.
Lions’ DC Kelvin Sheppard Makes His Feelings Clear About Kerby Joseph’s Return