Report: Lions rookie CB Jeff Okudah to undergo season-ending surgery

According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah will undergo surgery on his injured groin, and will not return this season. Per Birkett, this groin injury actually predates his time with the Lions—going back to his days at Ohio State—but he had fought through it most of 2020.

However, Lions’ third overall pick in the draft had missed the past two weeks with a shoulder injury. While it appears he’s since recovered from said injury, the groin issue has only gotten worse, and Detroit has decided to take care of it for a fresh start in 2021.

A fresh start may be exactly what Okudah needs. His rookie season was rocky, to say the least. He only made six starts in his rookie season, tallied two passes defended and just one interception.

While he certainly hasn’t lived up to the expectation of a high draft pick, Okudah’s struggling wasn’t completely unexpected. Rookie cornerbacks tend to struggle and without a full offseason due to COVID-19, he wasn’t exactly put in the best possible situation to succeed.

Hopefully, Okudah returns in 2021 healthy and ready to grow.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Lions have not placed on Okudah on injured reserve.

UPDATE: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that Okudah is expected to make a full recovery and should be at full strength for the Lions’ offseason program.