Detroit Lions Week 8 injury report: D’Andre Swift has first full practice since Week 1

The Detroit Lions have released their Wednesday injury report ahead of their Week 8 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. The Lions were able to get two of their best offensive skill players back on the field, and while they’re not out of the woods yet, signs are pointing in the right direction.

Reserve lists

• FB Jason Cabinda (ankle, PUP): eligible to return at any time
• WR Jameson Williams (ACL, NFI): eligible to return at any time
• WR DJ Chark (ankle, IR): eligible to return in Week 11
• WR Quintez Cephus (foot, IR): eligible to return in Week 10
• RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai (back, IR): eligible to return at any time
• OL Tommy Kraemer (back, IR): eligible to return at any time
• EDGE Romeo Okwara (Achilles, PUP): eligible to return at any time
• DB Bobby Price (knee, IR): eligible to return in Week 11
• DB Saivion Smith (concussion, Practice squad-IR): eligible to return in Week 11

Two players were added (Chark and Price) and two were removed (Josh Paschal and Jerry Jacobs) from the reserve lists last week, and while none of the remaining players have started their 21-day evaluation clocks yet, the Lions are still hopeful for their returns this season.

One of those players the Lions are hopeful about returning is first-round pick Jameson Williams, and coach Dan Campbell gave the media an update on his status on Wednesday:

“He’s put together a pretty good month, a real good month,” Campbell said of Williams. “And so, we feel like we’re going to have him before this season is out. It’s hard to say when that is going to be, I would say, at least probably another month. But I do feel like we’re going to get him before this is said and done.”

No practice on Wednesday

• WR Josh Reynolds (knee) — Downgrade, played in Week 7
• TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) — New injury, played in Week 7
• LG Jonah Jackson (neck) — New injury, played in Week 7
• OT Matt Nelson (calf)
• EDGE Charles Harris (groin)
• NB Chase Lucas (ankle) — New injury, played in Week 7
• CB Mike Hughes (knee) — New injury, played in Week 7
• S DeShon Elliott (finger) — New injury, played in Week 7
• S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle)

Reynolds missed Wednesday and Thursday last week, returned to practice on Friday, and played on Sunday, though he did appear limited in his ability to contribute. He did not appear to suffer a setback during the game, and while he could have a negative reaction after Sunday, this could also be a rest and recovery day for the veteran.

Hockenson did not appear to suffer an injury in last Sunday’s game, and he played his normal allotment of snaps, so this could also be a precautionary move. He has been listed with a knee injury several times this season.

Jackson has played in the last two games, since recovering from a finger injury, and like with Reynolds and Hockenson. Now he is dealing with a neck injury and his current status is a bit of an unknown.

Elliott left last Sunday’s game due to “cramping”, and it led to him only playing about three-quarters of defensive snaps. Now he is dealing with a finger injury, but we have no details on the severity.

Lucas was spotted in a walking boot at Wednesday’s practice and that typically is a bad sign for his ability to contribute over the next several weeks. Last week, after Chark was spotted in a walking boot, he landed on injured reserve the following Saturday.

Nelson, Harris, and Melifonwu have all missed the Lions’ last two games, and even with the extra bye week to recover, none have seen the field in the past three weeks. The Lions sixth offensive lineman role has been a disaster without Nelson, while Harris may find himself coming off the bench when he is able to return to the field after the Lions shifted around their defensive front last week.

Limited practice

• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (concussion) — in concussion protocol, expected to play
• C Frank Ragnow (foot)
• DT Taylor Decker (neck) — New injury, played in Week 7

St. Brown, who has been cleared to practice, remains in the league’s concussion protocol and was wearing a red “non-contact” jersey at practice on Wednesday. NFL protocols surrounding concussions have been recently updated, so it’s unclear if the red jersey is a league-mandated adjustment or just something the Lions are doing as a precaution. Either way, the Lions feel confident he is progressing through the process and will be able to play this weekend.

“He cleared, but he’s in protocol just to go through the process of it,” Campbell said of St. Brown on Monday. “But I would anticipate us having him this week.”

Another positive, St. Brown is no longer listed as having an ankle injury.

Ragnow has been injured most of the season but has been able to play through it most games. He was not listed with an injury designation last game, so he appears to be in a good spot moving forward.

Taylor Decker has a new neck injury and was spotted going through practice with the NFL’s protective guardian caps on his helmet. Considering he is still practicing, his availability doesn’t seem at risk unless he suffers a setback during practice this week.

Full practice

• RB D’Andre Swift (ankle, shoulder)
• CB Will Harris (hip)

Swift was a limited participant all of last week, but when Sunday arrived, he was unable to play. But an early week upgrade to full practice has to be a great sign that he’ll return to action this week.

Harris, like Swift, was a limited participant in practices last week but was unable to play in the game. The same questions surrounding Swift also apply here. If he is able to return to action this week, it’ll be interesting to see if he is inserted back into the starting lineup, or if that job has shifted back to Amani Oruwariye.

No longer listed with an injury

• DL John Cominsky
• LB Chris Board

Dolphins injury report

Here’s a look at the Dolphins’ initial injury report: