Injuries have plagued the Detroit Lions all season long, and just as players started to become healthy again in the early part of November, many others began showing up on the injury reports. Most recently, Detroit lost Kevin Jones, who has been one of the biggest weapons for this offense. Jones not only is the team's leading rusher by far, but is one of the best receivers. Those little out passes from the backfield work great in this Mike Martz offense, and without Jones in the lineup, things have definitely been a struggle.
Good news is on the horizon however. Jones was back on the practice field Monday to see how the high-ankle sprain he suffered against Arizona would affect him. Jones felt some soreness, but said that would come with recovering from an injury. He expects to play at New England on Sunday, which will be a big addition on this offense.
Some other injury news has also come about recently. Defensive tackle Shaun Cody was placed on the injured reserve after an ongoing toe injury has become bad enough to end his season. Cody may have tried to come back from the injury too quickly. Against the Cardinals he played briefly before re-injuring himself. That now leads to his season being over with. To fill the empty roster spot, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was activated. Rogers' four-game suspension for violating the steroid policy ended after the Arizona game, but because of an injury, he didn't play against Miami. Rogers being back on defense will also make a big difference. He's what holds the defensive line together.
Finally, Eddie Drummond, Devale Ellis, and Kenoy Kennedy all returned to practice this week. Rex Tucker sat out. Tucker had an injury for much of the season until the bye week and may now be seeing it flare up again.