Lions lose unsung defensive line star John Cominsky to thumb surgery

John Cominsky has been an unsung star along the Lions’ defensive line, but after an injury late in Week 2 he’s going to be out for awhile.

Coming off a win in Week 2, the Detroit Lions will be without one of the top-performing defensive lineman so far this season for awhile. John Cominsky was injured late in last Sunday’s game against Washington, and he had surgery on his right thumb Tuesday.

Head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the media on Wednesday, and he confirmed Cominsky will be out for a little while.

"He’s going to be down for a little bit,” head coach Dan Campbell said. “He had surgery yesterday, and he’ll be down for a little while.”"

Campbell added Cominsky will not be placed on injured reserve, at least for now.

Per Pro Football Reference, Cominsky has played 59 defensive snaps over the first two games for the Lions this season. He has played a lot on passing downs, and Pro Football Focus has credited him with a team-high 10 quarterback pressures to go with one sack. Playing on the interior and getting double-teamed makes those 10 pressures quite a feat, even within what can at times subjectively be labeled a pressure.

John Cominsky will be missed along the Lions defensive line

Campbell noted Cominsky’s contribution thus far.

"He was playing at a very high level,” Campbell noted. “He’ll be one of those guys that, somebody has got to pick up the slack of his production because he’s got a ton of silent production or stuff that you don’t always see on the stat sheets.”"

In terms of who could take Cominsky’s place, Campbell mentioned preseason standout Austin Bryant and rookie defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor. Bryant played 27 snaps in Week 1 against Philadelphia, and he did not play against Washington in Week 2. Taylor has been inactive for both games so far.

Eight teams put in a waiver claim on Cominsky when the Atlanta Falcons cut bait this offseason. The Lions’ No. 2 spot in the waiver priority landed him for them, and he has certainly delivered beyond even the most optimistic of expectations. The Lions will hopefully have their unsung defensive line star back in the fold after he only misses a few games.