As the Detroit Lions kick off their final week of training camp, coach Dan Campbell kicked off Tuesday afternoon with an injury update on two players who have missed some time as of late: linebacker Damone Clark and safety Thomas Harper.
Clark has been out of practice for several weeks now, and Campbell shared the bad news on why. Apparently, the injury he suffered is quite serious.
“He is done indefinitely,” Campbell said. “This injury took place, shoot, man, three weeks ago, two weeks ago. So, unfortunately,
it’s significant enough where he’ll be out indefinitely.”
It’s a tough blow for Clark, who was in line for a reserve role in Detroit’s stacked linebacker room. He was regularly repping with the second-team defense and has a ton of experience on special teams, so he seemed likely to grab a spot on the 53-man roster.
The good news for Detroit is that they have plenty of depth in that room, and most of them have experience on special teams. Troy Reeder is a seven-year vet with 1,750 special teams snaps. Joe Bachie has 1,128 snaps on special teams over six seasons. Amen Ogbongbemiga has 1,431 snaps over five seasons. This could also be an opportunity for undrafted rookie Erick Hunter to slide onto the 53-man roster following some flashy plays in both training camp and the preseason.
As for Harper, the news is much more positive. While he’s dealing with an ankle injury, it doesn’t sound like it will keep him out too much longer.
“Could he be ready this week? I think it’s unlikely, but you never know,” Campbell said.
With Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph still on the Physically Unable to Perform list and likely to stay there for the start of the season, Harper is the primary depth behind temporary starter Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark. That said, the Lions also have Christian Izien and Dan Jackson.
