On Wednesday, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said defensive back Christian Izien could miss the Sept. 13 season opener.
Izien is in a battle for the starting nickel job with Roger McCreary. The 5-foot-10, 206-pound defensive back is also added depth at safety. Izien suffered an undisclosed injury and was not present at Tuesday's practice. Campbell did not reveal the nature of the injury.
"Izzy, it'll probably be a little bit here. I don't know if we'll have him for the opener or not. But, we'll have him. We're going to get him here. If it's not then, we'll get him here early in the season at some point," Campbell said.
Coach Campbell with injury updates on Christian Izien and Trevor Nowaske. pic.twitter.com/TsGYtk7BVL
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 26, 2026
Izien's potential absence
would further complicate a secondary dealing with uncertainty surrounding the availability of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
Both of the Lions' safeties are working back from season-ending injuries, with Branch recovering from a torn Achilles and Joseph dealing with a degenerative knee condition. Each remain on the physically unable to perform list.
Izien began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions signed Izien this offseason. In his three seasons thus far, Izien has recorded 165 tackles, five passes defended, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Campbell also provided an injury update on reserve linebacker Trevor Nowaske, who left Tuesday's practice during individual drills.
"(Nowaske) we think is just a little strained or a sprain. So, I think we'll be OK here. Let it calm down, so I'm not as worried about that," Campbell said.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions injury updates: DB Christian Izien may miss opener
