The trend had turned positive regarding a return to action for Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph. On Wednesday head coach Dan Campbell took it all the way by telling reporters Joseph's 21-day activation window would be opened, and he indeed was listed as a limited participant on the day's practice report.
The Lions tend to, understandably, slow-play players' return to action from major injuries. So they could very well use all of Joseph's 21-day window to make every effort to ensure he's good to go for the rest of the season.
But assuming Joseph avoids setbacks with his knee, he will suit up at some point. His return to action, after having last played in Week 6 last season, will be welcomed with fully open arms.
The search for viable answers in the Lions' secondary probably should've ramped up before it did. But in Week 5, rookie cornerback Keith Abney played his first defensive snaps since Week 1. Not only that, he was moved into a new role, playing 51 snaps at free safety with the remaining eight as a box defender.
In Week 7, on the other side of the Week 6 bye, Abney didn't play as large of a snap share as he did in Week 5. The return of Brian Branch was the reason for that, but Abney still played 30 snaps at free safety and four in the box.
Kerby Joseph's looming return doesn't have to eliminate Keith Abney from a role in Lions' secondary
Whenever Joseph is able to suit up, the free safety position will of course be his domain again. How many snaps he plays immediately upon his return is an obvious question, and there's a solid chance he's on something of a snap count for at least a couple games.
Regardless of who else is available, Abney has earned continued playing time in the Lions' secondary. While Joseph ramps back up to his pre-injury role, assuming that is what happens, there'll be ample room for Abney to play and be impactful.
READ MORE: Christian Mahogany's dominance for Lions in 2026 isn't that hard to believe
The bigger question is what happens to Abney's role when Joseph is back to full-time snaps. He's too small to be an ideal outside corner, but maybe he could mix in there a bit.
In the aforementioned season opener, before he inexplicably played zero defensive snaps in the following three games, Abney lined up in the slot for all 25 of his snaps. That seems to be an ideal and sticky role for him, in the broad sense of his NFL career.
Ultimately, similarly to Branch, Abney could play a hybrid slot corner/safety role in the back end of the Lions' defense and be very effective in it. So Joseph's pending return doesn't have to be (and should not be) a zero-sum game for the rookie, where he eventually loses all the defensive snaps he's been seeing lately.
Add us as a preferred source on Google