During Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia’s Saturday morning press conference, he acknowledged concerns around soft tissue injuries with the shortened offseason, as we have seen some of that with Lions players so far in training camp.
“Certainly in general, high-injury-rate players in the NFL are rookies and younger players, plus older-injured vets,” Patricia said. “Those are kind of the two groups that we always keep track of as far as injury histories and things like that. Sometimes we’re a little bit cautious with those guys.”
Today, two more rookies appeared to suffer soft tissue injuries, though the severity of each looks a bit different.
Jeff Okudah
After stretching, position groups split up and began warm-up drills. After his first or second rep, Okudah pulled up and was called off the field. A trainer and Okudah had a discussion for a few minutes, then Patricia was called over and appeared to shut him down for the day.
Okudah remained on the sidelines, following the position group around and chatting with coaches and players but he did not participate. On the surface, this looks precautionary but soft tissue injuries can be tricky so we will have to wait and see where he is tomorrow.
Hunter Bryant
Bryant pulled up during a TE vs S one-on-one drill and grabbed his hamstring. He was seen and stretched out by a trainer but after several minutes he slowly left the field and did not return.
D’Andre Swift and Bo Scarbrough remain sidelined
Also during his morning press conference, Patricia acknowledged that both running backs D’Andre Swift and Bo Scarbrough would be held out of Saturday’s practice. He didn’t address the type of injuries they are dealing with but noted that due to the pace of Saturday’s practice he didn’t want to expose them to at this point.
Desmond Trufant sits again
Friday looked like a rest day for Trufant but he remained on the sideline and not participating again on Saturday, which is mildly concerning. This could be a “pace of practice” issue, or potentially something more — but the fact that he was present is encouraging.
Marvin Hall returns in full
Hall left the field on Friday and his limp looked worrisome. Fortunately, Hall returned to the field on Saturday, took his place with the second team, and didn’t miss a rep.
Victor Bolden and Matt Nelson getting light work
On Friday the extent of Bolden’s participation was riding a stationary bike, and while he did that again on Saturday, he also was with his position group on the field which is a step in the right direction to returning.
Nelson only ran on Friday, and on Saturday he saw reps at right tackle when the Lions rolled three offensive lines — which was only a few times.
Nick Bawden, Isaac Nauta, Beau Benzschawel
Bawden, Nauta, and Benzschawel are with their position groups but not mixing in yet. Mostly just doing stuff off to the side and learning from the sidelines.
Austin Bryant remains on PUP
Bryant remains on the Physically Unable to Participate (PUP) list with an undisclosed injury. He is eligible to be removed at any time once he is deemed healthy.
