The Detroit Lions knew they were taking a bit of a risk when they signed Emmanuel Moseley, and if the free agent cornerback wasn't coming off a torn ACL he likely would have gotten more than a one-year deal.
That Moseley was not ready to go on the first day of training camp was no shock. But his reason for being away from the team during that first week, since confirmed, was rooted in needing a second surgery on his injured knee (as first reported by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). That second procedure naturally extends his recovery process, and with that it's absolutely unclear when he'll be able to practice.
On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell had an update on Moseley. It was the expected mixture of vague uncertainty and a broad expectation that can't be hidden.
"I would say he's on track but it's gonna be a while. It'll be a while," Campbell told reporters prior to practice Monday. "Kind of like what I said when we started camp, everything is really gonna be pushed back four to five weeks from what we originally thought. But he was already four to five weeks ahead at that point so we'll see. He's doing good though, he's doing great.""
Campbell would not acknowledge a setback (the second surgery). He essentially said Moseley's progress up to that point, coupled with a four to five-week push back in his timeline, created a net neutral situation.
Campbell was of course asked if Moseley could be ready for Week 1.
“I don’t know. We’ll see. He’s doing good. He’s doing good.”
Moseley seems destined for the PUP list to start the season, which should be reflected in 53-man roster projections until shown otherwise. He would then miss at least the first four games of the season. Leaving out Campbell's word dance with the four-to-five week timeframe vs. his prior progress, Moseley making his Lions' debut a month into the season seems about right at this point.