Aug 13, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions center Darren Keyton (68) is helped off the field after being injured during the second quarter against the New York Jets in a preseason NFL football game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Headed into week two of the NFL preseason, Detroit Lions fans everywhere had one common ground — the team had done well staying healthy up until that point.
Besides injuries to running back Joique Bell and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, the Lions had managed to do quite well at avoiding the injury bug throughout all of the teams offseason workouts in 2015. That all changed instantly once kickoff commenced at FedEx Field in Washington D.C. last Thursday.
On the first play from scrimmage Caraun Reid suffered what would later be determined to be a high ankle sprain. And the injuries didn’t stop there. Following the game it was announced the second-year outside linebacker, Kyle Van Noy had suffered a “significant” injury that could actually land him on short-term injured reserve entering the regular season. Tight end Eric Ebron, Linebacker DeAndre Levy, tackle LaAdrian Waddle, guard Larry Warford, rookie cornerback Alex Carter and a few others have now also hade their share of concerns, although some worse that others.
Lots of Lions out today: L. Moore, Ebron, Warford, Ansah, Reid, Snyder, Van Noy, C. Butler, Abdul-Quddus.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) August 23, 2015
DeAndre Levy, Ezekiel Ansah, Kyle Van Noy and Alex Carter among the Detroit Lions not practicing Wednesday. http://t.co/YLzUAKTVjg
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) August 26, 2015
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
With all of this in mind, we felt like it would be a good idea to go through a rundown of all the injuries the Detroit Lions are currently facing and the impact each will have on the team moving forward.
Guard, Larry Warford
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Right guard Larry Warford is a staple in the Detroit Lions offensive line. In fact, he might just be the best of the whole bunch. And for the second year in a row, it now appears as if he will miss at least some time in the regular season.
#Lions HC Jim Caldwell says DT Caraun Reid and G Larry Warford coukd be out a "little while" #yikessticks Need them back 4 opening day.
— Dan Leach (@DanLeachDTM) August 22, 2015
While the exact severity of the sprain is unknown a this time, the average timetable for an injury like this is usually 4-6 weeks. That would slot Warford for a return somewhere between weeks 2-5. Of course, recovery time is different for everyone.
No surprise with a high ankle sprain, but Lions RG Larry Warford is wearing a walking boot on his right leg.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) August 25, 2015
With Warford out of action some questions come to mind for the immediate future.
- Could the Lions try rookie Laken Tomlinson at RG?
- Does this give third year C/G Taylor Boggs a better chance to make the final 53 man roster?
For now, both of the questions remain unanswered. One thing that is certain however is that this Detroit Lions offense needs its best lineman healthy. Quarterback protection and the lack of a ground game were major concerns in 2014 and in the offseason — hence the first round selection of Tomlinson out of Duke.
If this squad truly expects to make a move in the right direction this season, Warford needs to be a consistent part of the front five.
Next: Caraun Reid