Kerby Joseph

Joseph got in a full practice session with the Lions on Thursday, but will not travel to Munich with the club. It sounds like he’ll have a real chance to play in Week 11 when the Lions head back to the states.

Dan Campbell said Joseph has been used only in individual and group practices so far and that he’s handled that well. Next week he’ll get in on real practice. Joseph probably stands a decent chance of being active for Week 9 assuming he acclimates well to that.

Joseph dealt with a cartilage issue in his knee last year and has spent the entirety of 2026 working his way back from it. As of a month ago, Dan Campbell didn’t sound optimistic that Joseph would be able to play at any point this year. Joseph is currently on the PUP list. His return to practice means the team has opened his 21-day practice window. We expect them to use most of the window to ramp Joseph up to full speed, but it’s still a great sign for the playmaking safety.

Lions HC Dan Campbell didn’t sound optimistic about the prospects of Joseph, who is dealing with a potentially career-threatening knee cartilage issue, helping the Lions this year. In two separate media appearances in the last week, Campbell said that there wasn’t anything he could say about Joseph that would make anyone “feel good.” Pelissero reported Saturday morning that Joseph, who missed all of training camp and hasn’t played since last year’s Week 6 loss to the Chiefs, is hopeful he’ll be available to help the Lions down the stretch. While that may be the case, whether Joseph is able to return to play this year remains an open question. Without Joseph and S Brian Branch (Achilles), the Lions are severely shorthanded in the backend heading into Week 3’s home matchup against the Jets.

Campbell spoke in a dejected tone when asked about the Lions’ safety duo returning to practice, particularly when discussing Joseph’s outlook. Campbell said Joseph did not suffer a setback, but stopped short of fully explaining the situation. It sounds like Joseph’s recovery stalled. The training staff was focused on strengthening Joseph’s knee, “but there was a little time there where we weren’t able to do everything we needed to do.” The Lions will not ask Joseph to play until he gets his knee as strong as it can possibly be, “and he feels comfortable.” Branch could return to practice in the coming weeks, but at this point, Joseph’s career status seems like it might be up in the air.

Joseph is still nursing a knee injury that hampered him last season. He will remain on the PUP list to open the season, meaning he will miss a minimum of four games.

Just yesterday, Joseph implied via social media that he would avoid the physically unable to perform list. So much for that. Joseph dealt with a recurring knee issue for the entire 2025 season, which was first reported on at the end of July 2025, roughly three months after the Lions made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety. Given Joseph’s post, one imagines he has a chance to resume practicing relatively soon, but only time will tell. Branch suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in Week 14 last year. As of June 13th, Lions coach Dan Campbell said there was no timetable for his return. The Lions also placed TE Tyler Conklin on the physically unable to perform list.

Lions veterans won’t report to training camp until Monday, but Joseph implied in a tweet on Saturday morning that he’ll avoid the PUP list. In response to a question about going on the PUP list, the 25-year-old safety wrote, “How much y’all wanna bet I’m not on there.” It’s not much, but it’s the first positive signal for Joseph’s health in quite some time. After missing the last 11 games of the 2025 season with a knee injury, Joseph was held out of minicamp. In early June, Dan Campbell told reporters he didn’t know what to expect from Joseph this season. Joseph started all 17 games in 2024, when he had a league-leading nine interceptions and was named a first-team All-Pro. The former third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft signed a massive four-year, $86 million extension prior to last season. Joseph’s 20 interceptions are the second-most all-time for a safety in his first four seasons (Ed Reed, 22). A healthy Joseph would be a game-changer for the Lions defense.

Joseph was named a first-team All-Pro in 2024, but played only six games last year with what’s turned into a debilitating knee injury. Campbell noted at Thursday’s press conference that Joseph continues to build strength in his knee and receive treatment, but the team isn’t going to push him until they absolutely have to. Detroit acquired veteran safeties Chuck Clark and Christian Izien this offseason while retaining Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper to give themselves options with Joseph and Brain Branch (Achilles) on the mend.

Both of the Lions’ starting safeties, Joseph and Brian Branch (Achilles), are rehabbing significant injuries. While it would be great to get one or both of them back on the field this spring, Campbell does not want to hurry his injured stars back and risk re-injury. Late in April, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said both safeties are “trending in the right direction.” However, last we heard, Branch was not expected to be ready to play in Week 1. Joseph will likely sit out spring practices, but seemingly has a chance to participate in training camp. Stay tuned.

Joseph will, unfortunately, miss yet another game. Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters last week that the talented safety suffered a setback at some point. Landing on injured reserve was said to be a possibility, though, the team did not place him on it last week. He totaled one pass breakup and three interceptions in just six games played this season. Lions CB Amik Robertson (hand) and S Thomas Harper (concussion) are questionable to play.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said earlier today that Joseph “had a setback.” He also admitted that an injured reserve stint is possible for Joseph, though that would knock him out for the remainder of the regular season at this point. Joseph is managing a long-term knee injury and may not be able to make it back this season.

It’s a downgrade after a limited Monday session. FOX’s Jordan Schultz reports that Joseph “will likely seek treatment for the knee in the offseason, but he plans to be on the field in the coming weeks.” That doesn’t necessarily sound like a report about a player who will play on Thursday. The injury is “not considered career-altering” per multiple sources.

Given that he hasn’t played since October 12, it’s a big step. He apparently practiced with a bulky brace, so it’s possible that the Lions decide it isn’t worth the risk with just a few days ahead of Thursday’s game. But they also need every win they can get and this will be an enormous game for wild card implications against the Cowboys.

Joseph hasn’t played since October 12. We appreciate how good Joseph is and understand that the Lions would rather have him out there if at all possible, but there’s literally an injured reserve for this sort of thing. Brian Branch (toe/ankle) got in a full session today to upgrade over a Monday limited, and Terrion Arnold (concussion) remained limited and may be trying to clear protocol tomorrow to make the active line.

Dan Campbell has said that Joseph is “getting better, but it’s going to take a minute.” The safety left Week 7’s game against the Chiefs while trying to play through the injury. That update from Detroit’s head coach doesn’t sound promising for his status for Week 10.

Joseph has dealt with this knee injury for weeks now. His continued absence following the Lions’ Week 8 bye is unfortunate. Lions CB Terrion Arnold (shoulder) continues to practice in full while CB Avonte Maddox (hamstring) remains limited. The unit should at least get Arnold back for their Week game against the Vikings, though Joseph and Maddox are up in the air.

Joseph played through the knee issue early in the year but was eventually put on ice. He missed Week 7 with the knee issue and got Detroit’s Week 8 bye to rest. It seemingly wasn’t enough time off and he appears to be headed for another week on the bench. On the bright side, cornerback Terrion Arnold was a full participant in practice. He should be good to go after missing a few weeks with a shoulder injury.

Lions CB Terrion Arnold (shoulder) and DB Avonte Maddox (hamstring) remain sidelined. Joseph has been playing through the knee injury as best he can, but misses snaps in-game from time to time. The Lions will be without S Brian Branch (suspension) against the Buccaneers on Monday night. The Buccaneers’ offense is also short-staffed, but QB Baker Mayfield will do what he can to exploit the Lions’ beleaguered unit.

As expected, cornerback D.J. Reed was also listed as a DNP. He is a candidate for injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4. With multiple starters in their secondary injured, the Lions look like a relatively easy defensive matchup for Week 5. Unfortunately for the Bengals, their offense doesn’t look remotely capable of taking advantage of such a situation.