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Safety Louis Delmas and running back Jahvid Best were the only two Detroit Lions players completely absent from Wednesday's OTA. However, they weren't the only players unable to take part in it. Several others were actually in attendance but stuck watching from the sideline because of injuries. Quarterback Shaun Hill, running back Mikel Leshoure, wide receiver Ryan Broyles, defensive end Devin Taylor, linebacker Alex Elkins and cornerback Darius Slay were all out on Wednesday, according to Tim Twentyman.
Knee injuries are to blame for why Delmas, Broyles and Slay were unable to participate in the OTA. Delmas is off rehabbing his knees, and Broyles and Slay are both working to come back from knee injuries as well. Broyles tore his ACL last season, and he has been busy rehabbing ever since. Slay, on the other hand, is coming off of minor knee surgery and simply isn't ready to hit the field just yet.
Hill is also coming off of minor surgery. He had surgery on his left foot to repair a nagging problem, and he is expecting to be able to participate in the Lions' OTAs at some point. For now, with his left foot in a boot, he is out.
As for the other players who were out, we know that Best still isn't cleared to return because of the issues surrounding a concussion, while Elkins is presumably still out with a hamstring injury that sidelined him during the Lions' rookie minicamp. It's unclear what injuries Leshoure and Taylor are dealing with, but at this time of the year, it's wise to hold players out even if they are dealing with something minor.