Detroit Lions head coach has been ominous when it comes to the potential return of safety Kerby Joseph. During his most recent interview with 97.1 The Ticket, he noted that he was not sure what could change for Joseph to see the field this season. However, NFL Insider Tom Pelissero of The Ringer shared a bit more of an optimistic point of view in his recent report.
“While Lions coach Dan Campbell said he “can’t make you feel good” about the potential return of Kerby Joseph, the standout safety fully intends to return this season,” wrote Pelissero. “Joseph has been dealing with a cartilage issue in his knee and missed time in training camp because of a personal issue, which set back his rehab timeline, but Joseph is hopeful he’ll be available to help the Lions down the stretch.”
There were rumors that Joseph also had a personal issue during training camp. However, it is new that this issue delayed his rehab. Still, the idea that Joseph could be available down the stretch is a bit more optimistic than what we had heard previously.
Detroit Lions Could Get Kerby Joseph Back in 2026
Joseph has been out since Week 7 of the 2025 season. He missed the rest of the year with a mysterious knee injury and has not been back since. Joseph tweeted before training camp that he did not expect to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list when he reported.
However, the team placed him on the PUP. He spoke with reporters early in training camp and made it clear that he wants to return, but did not have a timeline for when he would. Since then, he has either been away from the team or out of the picture.
Dan Campbell made it clear that he did not expect Joseph to return at the earliest potential time for a player on the PUP to return. Then, he said that he cannot give fans comfort with a Joseph update.
Joseph signed a four-year, $86M contract before the start of the 2025 season. He has played in six of the Lions’ potential games since signing his deal. Detroit will have a hard time moving on from his contract in 2027, so the team needs him to return soon.
Lions Secondary Has Issues
On top of losing Joseph, the Lions are also without Brian Branch, who is also on the PUP. Campbell expects Branch to return quicker than Joseph at this point.
Without Joseph and Branch, the team has shuffled in their secondary. Avonte Maddox started in the first two weeks, but he was just placed on the IR with a season-ending injury. Thomas Harper was platooning with Chuck Clark, but he will be out for Week 2 as well.
So, Clark is likely to start with Christian Izien at safety. They also signed Bishop Fitzgerald and Jalen Mills this week. Both could end up being in the mix for a few snaps. This speaks to how important the return of Joseph would be.
Lions Get Surprisingly Promising Update on $86M All-Pro