The Detroit Lions have released their first injury report of the 2022 season while just days away from their first regular season matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Did not practice: DL John Cominsky (illness), OL Tommy Kraemer (back), DL Levi Onwuzurike (back)
While three players sat out of Wednesday’s practice, only one is of real concern at the moment.
Reserve offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer is currently held out of practice due to a back injury. This injury comes as starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai was recently placed on injured reserve.
Kraemer is one of a few players who could fill in at right guard, especially since he did so several times last season as an undrafted rookie. He played well enough to stick around again this season and the coaches seem to have faith in the young versatile lineman. If this back injury is serious enough to hold him out, the team may have to rely on Logan Stenberg in his place.
Onwuzurike’s injury is old news and even coach Dan Campbell knows that it will take some time for him to be healthy. That said, it does bring up some concerns about the former second-round pick and his availability on game days.
Cominsky missed practice due to an illness and should be ready to go for Sunday, where he will surely be in the interior defensive line rotation.
Limited practice: LB Chris Board (knee), DB Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring), EDGE Julian Okwara (hamstring), OL Frank Ragnow (groin), K Austin Seibert (right groin)
While there’s no need to sound the alarms just yet, it is concerning that several of Detroit’s starters are already being limited in practice due to injuries.
To add on to the aforementioned injury to Vaitai, starting center Frank Ragnow is dealing with a groin injury at the moment. The former Pro Bowler missed a majority of games last season due to a toe injury and is now being held back by a groin issue. He isn’t ruled out for Sunday’s game, but the Lions can rest easy knowing they have reliable backup Evan Brown ready to go if needed.
Seibert’s groin injury comes after he too missed a large chunk of the 2021 season. While it hasn’t been reported on before, his injury may explain why the Lions re-signed Aldrick Rosas to the practice squad last week.
Linebacker Chris Board is dealing with a recent knee injury, but his limited status provides some hope that it isn’t too serious. Board should be in line for some reps at inside linebacker while playing predominantly on special teams.
Melifonwu and Okwara’s names appearing on this list inspire more optimism than concern as the two have missed many practices throughout camp and the preseason. This was Melifonwu’s first practice back in weeks and he may be sidelined for the game against Philadelphia. Okwara has been back at practice for a week now and is looking more and more likely to see the field in a limited capacity this Sunday.
