The Detroit Lions have wrapped up their final team-only full practice of the preseason, as they only have joint practices with the Houston Texans and walkthroughs on their schedule before their preseason finale on Saturday. Tuesday was Day 16 of Lions training camp, and we have all the latest updates on the players’ injuries and their current statuses.
Activated from PUP:
- DL Mekhi Wingo
Originally slated for a September return, Wingo was back at practice on Tuesday, giving him a chance to be ready for the regular season. While a return-to-practice
is encouraging, he is only expected to participate in individual and group drills while he acclimates, and is unlikely to practice or play against the Texans.
Wingo’s initial goal was to be back at the start of training camp, but he revealed after practice he had a setback that required a cleanup surgery two or three months back. When asked if he’d be ready for Week 1 of the regular season, Wingo emphatically said, “Absolutely.”
Still on injury lists:
- G Miles Frazier (PUP)
- DT Alim McNeill (PUP)
- EDGE Josh Paschal (NFI)
- LB Malcolm Rodriguez (PUP)
Of the players remaining on the Lions’ injury lists, Paschal is the only other one given a September projection for return-to-play. Frazier was estimated to return in September or October, while McNeill and Rodriguez are expected to be back in October.
Not practicing on Tuesday:
- WR Malik Taylor (undisclosed)
- OL Trystan Colon (elbow)
- NT Brodric Martin (undisclosed) — left practice early on Monday
- EDGE Ahmed Hassanein (pec) — has avoided surgery
- SAF Kerby Joseph (undisclosed)
Martin is a new addition to this list after leaving practice early on Monday. It’s not clear what he is dealing with, and the team did not provide an update. With no media access on Wednesday, the earliest we may get an answer to Martin’s status is Thursday, ahead of joint practices.
Hassanein provided an update to his status on social media on Monday, noting that he avoided surgery and just needs time to heal.
Return to practice/status change
- TE Sam LaPorta (undisclosed)
- CB Khalil Dorsey (leg)
- SAF Morice Norris (concussion)
LaPorta has returned to the practice field after resting/recovering from an undisclosed injury that lasted around five days. Campbell did note that his injury was “nothing major”, and his return on Tuesday suggests LaPorta is indeed progressing as expected. The Lions haven’t used LaPorta during the preseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he got little to no work against the Texans and continued to rest for Saturday’s game, as he should be focused is surely on being healthy for the regular season.
Dorsey continues to get work during individual drills but has not returned to full team participation at this time. His status for any Texans-related practices/games remains in flux.
Norris was back on the field Tuesday with pads and a helmet, but was exclusively working with a trainer. While he remains in concussion protocol, this is a significant step towards making it back on the field just over a week after being taken off the field in an ambulance.
“We’re being very thorough with this, and he’s doing well,” coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “He’s doing good, right now, but I don’t even want to go that far (projecting his regular season status). I just know he’s down today. and we’ll keep going.”
Left practice early
- None
The Lions did not have any players leave practice early on Tuesday.
