The Detroit Lions suffered yet another loss due to injury in the preseason. This time it’s former first-round pick, linebacker Jarrad Davis.
As the NFL debate rages on about whether to play starters in the preseason, the Detroit Lions have a better case than most when it comes to needless injuries. In their first preseason contest of the year, the Lions lost wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (broken leg) and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo (undisclosed) due to injury against the New England Patriots.
Both Kearse and Kilgo have since been placed on injured reserve. Neither were slated to be starters this upcoming season although Kearse was seen as an important backup and valuable as a veteran of new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s system.
In their third preseason matchup of the year, the Lions appeared to lose a much more integral part of their immediate plans. On the first series of their exhibition against the Buffalo Bills Thursday night, third-year linebacker Jarrad Davis went down. The former first-rounder appeared to suffer a lower leg injury after he was unexpectedly hit from behind by teammate and fellow linebacker Devon Kennard.
Davis had to be helped off the field and was initially examined on the sidelines. He was then carted off the field to the locker room for further examination. It was later reported on the CBS broadcast by Melanie Collins that Davis was believed to have suffered a right ankle injury and his Achilles was mentioned. He was replaced on the field by Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who has been having an outstanding preseason so far.
#Lions LB Jarrad Davis, who injured his ankle tonight against the #Bills, will have an MRI tomorrow, source said. Obviously it didn’t look and doesn’t sound good. But the MRI will provide crucial info.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2019
Jarrad Davis was the 21st overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Florida. The 24-year old posted career highs in tackles (100}, tackles for loss (10.0), sacks (6.0), and pass defends (5) last year. Davis figured to take another step in his development this upcoming season after spending a second offseason learning head coach Matt Patricia’s multiple defensive scheme.