Detroit’s final injury report for Week 5 was discouraging. Two players were listed as out and another two are doubtful for Sunday’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers in Ford Field. There were also eight players officially designated questionable.
The list of the walking wounded includes several key pieces of the team. Guys like left tackle Taylor Decker, right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai and wide receiver Josh Reynolds are pretty likely to all play despite being listed as questionable; all were full participants in Friday’s practice and appear good to go despite perhaps not being 100 percent. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is in line to make his Detroit debut too, though in a limited role.
Buy Lions TicketsThere are a few who will require some shuffling to cover, unfortunately. Here’s how the Lions can adapt to some of the more important injuries heading into Week 5.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown, officially listed as doubtful with an abdominal injury, is a critical loss. He’s the team’s top passing target and catalyst for so much of the offense between the hashes in the intermediate range — where Jared Goff is at his best at quarterback.
Nobody else can offer St. Brown’s blend of toughness and ability to get open quickly and reliably against any type of coverage. Kalif Raymond figures to get some of the opportunities in the quick-hit passing game where St. Brown is used on quick outs and sluggos to keep the stick moving. Josh Reynolds, who is questionable with a groin injury, can also kick into the slot and take some of those targets.
Then there’s Jameson Williams, who is poised to make his 2023 debut. Detroit used Williams in the slot quite a bit during the summer and it was often effective. However, no small part of that effectiveness was due to St. Brown being to his outside flank and commanding coverage attention. Jamo’s speed on the drag routes and corner routes can be useful here.
Getting rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs more looks as an aligned receiver was another option before he unexpectedly popped up on the injury report as questionable, too.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs was a full-go all week until Friday, when he was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury suffered in Friday’s practice. Late-breaking injuries and designation are never good.
David Montgomery has already established himself as the clear workhorse of the running game. Replacing Gibbs means finding someone who can work in the speed game on the outside and also offer pass-catching ability out of the backfield. Despite Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight being above him on the unofficial depth chart, that’s a role that fits Devine Ozigbo and his skills.
Ozigbo being promoted from the practice squad and getting work in the more obvious passing situations is one option. Using Craig Reynolds, who has emerged as a good receiver and an effective pass blocker, is another. Of course, riding Montgomery for 32 carries like what happened in Week 4 works, too.
DB Brian Branch
Loing Branch, who is out with an ankle injury, is quite troublesome. The impressive rookie is Detroit’s primary slot corner but also a versatile piece that moves around different safety spots.
Kerby Joseph trended in the right direction by participating fully in Friday’s practice. He typically starts alongside Branch in the secondary at free safety and can handle the safety duties Branch often shifts into. Tracy Walker will see more action in that mix-and-match capacity of the securities, too.
It’s the specific slot CB role that will be difficult. Veteran Will Harris got those reps against the Packers. He didn’t play well in limited duty and has never engendered much confidence for his coverage out of the slot, however.
This could create a chance for Chase Lucas to step up. The second-year CB is on the Lions for his special teams, but he was primarily a slot corner at Arizona State. His ability to impact the run defense is notable.
Carolina’s primary slot receiver (over 75 percent of snaps) is Adam Thielen, so flexing an extra linebacker onto the crafty veteran isn’t a very good option. Playing more zone concepts is a better choice, particularly with the Panthers’ longest pass play of the season with Bryce Young at quarterback going for just 22 yards. If the Panthers won’t attack deep — or can’t, and Young has thus far not shown any sense of it so far — committing a safety like Walker into a more shallow zone in combination with athletic rookie LB Jack Campbell might be the best solution. If the tight ends (namely Hayden Hurst) aren’t a threat down the field, that can definitely work.
