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It's been a long road back from injury for Detroit Lions cornerback Nevin Lawson. Last year, in only the second regular-season game of his rookie season -- and his first as the Lions' top nickelback -- Lawson dislocated his left foot. The nasty injury led to immediate surgery and a long recovery process that forced Lawson to miss the rest of the 2014 season.
Fast forward to now and Lawson is finally nearing the end of the recovery process. Based on what he said when he reported for training camp on Tuesday, it's not clear if he's fully ready to practice just yet, though. He only took part in individual drills during the Lions' OTAs and minicamp, and it's possible that he will start training camp on the PUP list as he wraps up his recovery.
Just spoke with #Lions CB Nevin Lawson. Said he's been running and is close to 100 percent. Wouldn't say if he's cleared or not, though.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) July 28, 2015
On the bright side, it sounds like Lawson isn't necessarily feeling the effects of his injury as he gets ready for training camp.
Lions CB Nevin Lawson said he couldn't detail injury status of his foot, but said he hasn't been feeling any pain.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) July 28, 2015
If Lawson is healthy, he will compete with Quandre Diggs and Josh Wilson for the Lions' starting nickelback job. He could find himself a step or two behind in that competition if he spends any significant time on the PUP list, but getting 100 percent healthy is obviously the top priority at this point.