Detroit Lions give surprise Kerby Joseph injury update ahead of Bears game

Mike Moraitis

Detroit Lions give surprise Kerby Joseph injury update ahead of Bears game image

Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have a new injury concern on their hands ahead of the Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears and it is with safety Kerby Joseph.

After not appearing on the injury report over the first two days of the week, Joseph was added on Friday as a limited participant and is now questionable to play.

The Lions already had an injury concern with another starter, left tackle Taylor Decker, who is questionable after not practicing at all this week.

When it comes to Decker, offensive coordinator John Morton said he expects the left tackle to play, but head coach Dan Campbell wouldn't go that far when asked about his top left tackle.

“Decker’s played a lot of football, so he’ll be ready. He’ll be ready as long as it feels right,” Campbell said.

Kerby Joseph questionable for Week 2

Joseph is listed on the Lions' injury report with a knee issue.

Because he wasn't on the injury report on Wednesday or Thursday, and because head coach Dan Campbell didn't mention him before practice, we can assume Joseph got hurt during Friday's session, although that has not been confirmed.

Unfortunately, there really isn't any information out there on Joseph at this time, so we may not know more about his status until Saturday, or even before kickoff on Sunday.

But the fact that Joseph is such a late addition to the injury report is troubling and truly leaves his status up in the air for Week 2 against the Bears.

Joseph has been very reliable over his first three seasons in the NFL, with the Lions safety missing just two contests in that span. He played in all 17 games in 2022 and 2024, only missing two contests in 2023.

Joseph has developed into one of the best safeties in the NFL in recent years and has been particularly elite at forcing turnovers.

If he can't play, veteran Avonte Maddox could step into Joseph's role, as the team was utilizing him there during the offseason. Daniel Thomas and Thomas Harper are listed behind Joseph on the depth chart, though.

MORE NFL NEWS

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.