Detroit Lions injury report: Kerby Joseph won't play vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Detroit Lions' depth problems in the secondary keep getting worse.
The Lions ruled safety Kerby Joseph out on Saturday, Oct. 18, for Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of the knee injury he suffered last month.
Joseph missed his sixth straight practice Saturday and wore a brace on his knee as he limped through the locker room after practice. He has played through knee pain the past two weeks, though Lions coach Dan Campbell said he was "feeling better" before practice.
"He’s dealing with something and it’s affecting him right now so we’ve just got to get it to calm down, help him," Campbell said.
The Lions (4-2) will be without their top three safeties and top two cornerbacks Monday. Along with Joseph, starting safety Brian Branch will serve a one-game suspension this week and top backup Avonte Maddox is out for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. At cornerback, Terrion Arnold will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury and fellow starter D.J. Reed is on injured reserve with a strained hamstring.
Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin are expected to start at cornerback, Thomas Harper will play one safety spot and the Lions could use Loren Strickland, Jammie Robinson or Erick Hallett at the other safety spot.
The Lions also ruled running back Sione Vaki out with a groin injury and listed left tackle Taylor Decker and defensive tackles DJ Reader and Alim McNeill as questionable.
Campbell said Decker was "trending" towards returning after a two-week absence due to a shoulder injury. McNeill is expected to make his season debut after last year's ACL injury, and Reader plans to play through a back injury that limited him in practice.
Wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David are questionable for the Bucs, while running back Bucky Irving and receiver Chris Godwin are out.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Makes Feelings Clear on Kevin Stefanski Amid Rumors
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is on the hot seat and Deshaun Watson appears to be loving it.
The Browns are off to a rough 1-5 start, and their offense has been a major culprit. Cleveland is averaging fewer than 14 points per game, struggling to find consistency or generate explosive plays. Stefanski continues to handle play-calling duties, adding to the mounting pressure on him as the team searches for answers.
Many have called for Stefanski to be fired, including “Chad the Dumb Browns Fan.” He recently made a video questioning if the Browns’ quarterbacks have been the problem or if it’s Stefanski.
“This is a real, genuine question, Dawg Pound. Are we sure Deshaun Watson is even bad?” he said. “I mean, every quarterback — Baker Mayfield, Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco this year — every quarterback Kevin Stefanski has had is not (expletive) good. And then they go to a different team and (expletive) find themselves and are awesome.”
On Saturday, Chad posted an update on the video, pointing out that Watson had favorited the rant.
“I’m in my Buckeyes gear, I’m not trying to think about the Browns until tomorrow,” he said. “Well, look who just favorited that video. Does that mean Deshaun agrees? Or does that mean Deshaun likes watching me crash out like I always do? I don’t know, but all I do know is that every quarterback who leaves Kevin Stefanski goes off to be a better quarterback. There’s never a dull moment in Cleveland.”
Deshaun Watson’s Return Timeline With Browns Unknown
Watson is recovering from a twice-ruptured Achilles. He initially suffered the injury in October of last year, but re-injured it in January, requiring a second surgery. Watson has shown off his progress on social media, recently doing some throwing at the Browns’ facility.
However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Oct. 13 that Watson is “a good month away” from being cleared for football activity. Schefter added that there has been no conversation within the Browns organization regarding Watson’s potential return to the field.
The Browns have been typically vague on Watson’s potential return timeline.
“Yeah, no real update there, other than he’s doing a great job rehabbing, doing a good job at meetings,” Stefanski said this week.
Deshaun Watson Doesn’t Fit Into Browns’ Plans
The Browns are currently evaluating rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. He’s started the last two games, going 0-2 while passing for 411 yards and two touchdowns. Shedeur Sanders sits behind Gabriel and is the likely next option if things continue to go south for the Browns.
Since arriving in Cleveland via a blockbuster 2022 trade, Watson has struggled to live up to expectations. Over three seasons, he’s started 19 games, posting a 9-10 record while throwing for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
At 1-5, the Browns appear more concerned with their future than salvaging anything from Watson’s tenure after committing to him with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. Owner Jimmy Haslam even described the trade for Watson as a “swing and miss” during the offseason.
Cleveland seems ready to move on, but once Watson is fully healthy, he could still have an opportunity to reboot his career — likely somewhere else.
