With the time starting where players who started the season on the PUP or NFI list can practice, the Detroit Lions have started the return clocks for Jerry Jacobs and Josh Paschal.
While the Detroit Lions aren’t in any rush to get Jameson Williams on the field before he’s absolutely ready, some much-needed defensive reinforcements are coming. On Wednesday, amid some other roster moves, the team announced cornerback Jerry Jacobs and defensive lineman Josh Paschal returned to practice from the Active/PUP list.
Jacobs teased his looming return to practice coming off his torn ACL last December, and it came to fruition. Paschal had hernia surgery after rookie minicamp, as an injury lingered from late last season at Kentucky, and he landed on the PUP list to delay the NFL debut for this year’s Lions’ second-round pick.
With their returns to practice off the PUP list, the Lions have now started a 21-day window to add Jacobs and Paschal to their 53-man roster. Barring any setbacks over the course of that time, both should be up on the active roster on or before Oct. 26, in time to possibly play, at the latest, Week 8 (Oct. 30) against the Miami Dolphins.
Jerry Jacobs and Josh Paschal can only help the Detroit Lions defense
Via Ben Raven of MLive, head coach Dan Campbell spoke about the returns of Jacobs and Paschal.
"We like both of those players,” Campbell said. “It’s the reason why Jerry was a starter for us at one point last year. And then the reason we drafted Paschal. It’ll be good to get them back and let them begin the work and to practice. See where they’re at.”"
When he’s ready to play, Jacobs should step right into a prominent role. He started nine games as an undrafted rookie last year, and beyond his solid level of play he’ll bring a bulldog mentality back to the Lions’ secondary.
Paschal is regarded as a versatile piece who can play on the edge or on the inside of the Lions’ defensive front. Via Pro Football Focus (h/t to Raven), who called him a “leverage demon”, he had the nation’s highest run-stop win rate last year (12.4 percent).
The Lions defense needs all the help it can get, so Jacobs and Paschal will be welcome additions whenever they are ready.
In other moves the Lions announced on Wednesday, wide receiver Tom Kennedy was signed to the active roster from the practice squad, the signing of kicker Michael Badgley to the practice squad was made official and wide receiver Brandon Zylstra was signed to the practice squad.