When we last heard about the recovery time of Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal, he was expected to return to practice around early September, according to coach Dan Campbell. However, it appears that the timeline has been pushed back. Campbell noted on Thursday that they’re not expecting him to return as soon.
“I think Paschal could be a little later than we’d hoped,” Campbell said. “So that could sting a little bit.”
Paschal is currently dealing with an unspecified injury, although Campbell
did note earlier in camp that he had a clean-out surgery that pushed his initial timeline back. Paschal is currently on the Non-Football Injury list and was initially a candidate to come off the list before roster cuts next week. However, Campbell indicated that this latest delay in his recovery could make the decision to activate him off NFI a lot easier, suggesting he will remain on the list at the start of the season.
“It also cleans (the decision) up a little, too,” Campbell.
The insinuation that Paschal will remain on the NFI list means the Lions defensive end will likely be sidelined from practice and play for at least the first four weeks of the season. In the meantime, the Lions will have to figure out their depth at the defensive end position behind their top three players: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, and Al-Quadin Muhammad. Complicating issues is that rookie Ahmed Hassanein suffered a pectoral injury last preseason game that is expected to sideline him for a while.
That leaves the likes of Nate Lynn, Isaac Ukwu, and Mitchell Agude to fight for depth spots on the roster. Of course, Za’Darius Smith is also out there still unsigned…
