Lions defensive end Josh Paschal reveals exact reason for recent absence

Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal has missed the last two games, listed however vaguely with an illness. Before the first missed game, Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans, he revealed to Ben Raven of MLive that something came up during an annual cancer screening.

A little background. In 2018, Paschal had a malignant melanoma removed from his foot when was a sophomore at the University of Kentucky. He missed a full year of football as he went through the recovery process, and has remained cancer-free since.

But during his yearly cancer checkup up recently, Paschal’s doctors discovered a small non-cancerous mass in his shoulder that would require surgery to remove.

"It was nothing cancerous thankfully, praise God for that, but just had to take care of that," Paschal said Wednesday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "I was hoping just to be out for a week, but it wasn’t something that you could really bounce back from in a week so it just took two. I’m thankful to be back now though, and be able to help this team."

Paschal took a moment to praise the medical staff at Henry Ford Hospital and the Lions' team doctors.

"I just thank the Lord that I was able to have Henry Ford, the hospital and the staff here at the Lions, just taking care of me and making sure I had the best care possible."

Josh Paschal ready to come back vs. Texans

Naturally, Paschal is more than ready to get back on the field. He had a sack in the Lions' first full game without Aidan Hutchinson, Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings, and of course hasn't played since. He had already taken on a larger role after Marcus Davenport was injured in Week 3, so his absence was extra noticeable the last two games as the Lions struggled to put heat on the quarterback.

Paschal was listed as a full participant on the estimated practice report from Wednesday, in which they had a walk-through rather than a normal practice. But how hungry is he to get back on the field and play against the Houston Texans on Sunday night?

"I can't even put it into words," Paschal said, via the team website. "I'm just ready to get back after it. It's a big game to come back to, Sunday Night Football, I'm just ready to get back and help my team."