Former Lions Matthew Stafford, Kenny Golladay dealing with injuries in training camp

The Detroit Lions have been very fortunate when it comes to the injury bug through one week of training camp (**knocks on wood**). Unfortunately, a few former Lions players on new teams haven’t been as lucky.

First and foremost, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford injured his thumb—the same thumb that was surgically repaired just a few months ago—by accidentally slamming it into a teammate’s helmet. Stafford is dealing with some swelling, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but x-rays were negative. The Rams haven’t said much on the situation, but per Rapoport, Stafford is only expected to miss a few practices.

Outside of sentimental reasons, Stafford’s status should remain of interest to the Lions. Detroit owns the Rams’ first-round picks for the 2022 and 2023 drafts after trading their starting quarterback out west.

Similarly, former Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay was forced to leave practice early due to a lower body injury. Golladay appeared to come up limping during a team rep and had to leave the field a few plays later.

There has been no update on Golladay’s status, but it’s worth noting that the former third-round pick has dealt with hamstring issues several times throughout his career. Just last year alone, Golladay missed 11 games.

Golladay’s status, too, is relevant to the Lions. Detroit opted not to re-sign the wide receiver this offseason, letting him walk and ink a huge four-year, $72 million deal with the New York Giants. That contract has the Lions lined up to potentially receive a third-round compensatory pick for the 2022 NFL Draft. However part of the compensatory pick formula includes playing time on the new team. In other words, if Golladay misses significant time, it could lower the Lions’ compensation for letting him walk.

In happier news, former Lions returner Jamal Agnew practiced for the first time on Tuesday for the Jacksonville Jaguars after starting camp on the Non-Football Injury list.