The Detroit Lions finally received more good injury news this week, finally getting safety Kerby Joseph back on the field. That's another positive after Brian Branch made a huge impact in his return in Week 7.
With the Lions getting Branch back and likely to see Joseph play some type of a role in the weeks ahead, there's going to be a temptation with Brad Holmes and many in the fanbase to stand pat. There's going to be an assumption that the duo could serve as potential additions for the Lions with the advantage of costing no draft capital.
In spite of that, the Lions can't afford to be complacent. This season, they once again look to have one of the best offenses in the NFL led by an improved offensive line. Their defensive line has been aggressive, and their pass rush finally doesn't look like a problem. That leaves cornerback as the one place the Lions need to find more depth ahead of the November 11 trade deadline.
This year, the NFC looks wide open. The Chicago Bears have fired the first major salvo in aquiring defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons. Detroit would be smart to follow suit with a major move in the defensive backfield, potentially even targeting Sauce Gardner as an ideal move. That would set this duo up for a fight to the finish in the NFC North.
Joseph should serve as depth for the Lions, not the final answer to a question that has lingered for the last four seasons in the defensive backfield. The Lions can't afford to let the chance pass them by to upgrade at cornerback because they are getting healthy at an unrelated position.
Dan Campbell's words of caution prove why Lions must be aggressive
Even though Joseph is back, there's been a significant push to lower the expectations about what he can bring when he does return to game action. This week, Campbell went in-depth about everything he has gone through, and it certainly has been a challenge.
Despite the fact that Joseph is back, Campbell knows it's been a long road to get to this point in terms of rehab. Now that the rehab part is coming along, it's about seeing what Joseph can do on the field during game and practice action. The outcome of that remains up in the air.
"It was always about getting him to the point where we felt like we had gotten that leg strength to where it's equal with the other leg. That reduces some stress on the knee and (was) where we could help. Then starting to work him a little bit. Couple back-to-back days, you're doing a little more pounding. How does the knee react? Is there swelling? Is he ready the next day? He's kind of passed all those tests from what we're doing out there."
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"Now that he's passed all those tests, it's about getting him out there and literally, ball is in the air, it's a handoff, him breaking from the post and doing it over and over and over in real explosive reps with other bodies around. We're not even there yet. He'll do some individual drills, but we will be progressing to get into that late (this) week, early next week. So, he's checked all those boxes. The rest is how does he react to football play? (How does he react to) movement skills of true football with real bodies and the intensity of it?"
While Joseph could be set to play in a few weeks, it's hard to say how he will do when he sees the field. Can he be healthy and shake off the rust fast? The Lions would prefer to ease him back, and in this scenario, they shouldn't bank on him being a difference maker on his own.
Adding another cornerback or two would be the ideal move for Detroit. Joseph and Branch will play a major role, but they aren't the final answer for the Lions as it relates to being a Super Bowl contender.
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