With all the bad news on the Detroit Lions injury front, we finally got a positive ray of hope on Wednesday. Cornerback Jerry Jacobs has been cleared by team doctors and trainers to return to practice next week.
Jacobs is currently on the PUP list as he rehabs from December knee surgery. The second-year CB ran and cut on the practice field under supervision from the trainers on Wednesday.
He is eligible to come off the PUP list as soon as next week, though that doesn’t mean Jacobs would instantly return to the lineup. The Lions have up to three weeks from his return to practices to activate Jacobs from the PUP list. With a bye week in Week 6, Detroit could opt to extend the timeframe while getting Jacobs up to speed.
After practice, Jacobs told Kyle Meinke of MLive he is ready to go,
“I feel good. I feel good. Right now I’m, what, nine months out? I’m backpedaling, doing all the DB drills. Next week going to start back practicing, so going to get back in there conditioning. Feel great, bro. I’m ready to go.”
The Lions defense can use Jacobs, who told me on the Detroit Lions Podcast during training camp he’s aggressively learning how to play the slot CB role. Jacobs played outside–and played very well–as a rookie in 2021 out of injury-related necessity.
