Dan Campbell provides injury updates on Aidan Hutchinson, Frank Ragnow, John Cominsky

It’s no secret the Detroit Lions are banged up. They were hit hard by the injury bug last week but still managed to come away with a 36-27 win over the Washington Commanders, despite being down four starters.

Following the game on Sunday, and at his Monday morning press conference, coach Dan Campbell gave some brief updates on several of the Lions injured players. Let’s take a look at what Campbell had to say.

Aidan Hutchinson (charley horse)

Update:

“Hutch should be okay. He just had a little charley horse. He’ll be tender, but he should be fine.”

Hutchinson was noticeably limping during the second half of the last game, yet he was still able to manage 60 defensive snaps, good for 81 percent of those available. Following the game, Hutchinson twice dismissed the injury as “football stuff” and didn’t seem concerned about having any long-term impact.

Frank Ragnow (groin/foot)

On Sunday:

“We’re not concerned. We feel like the thing will heal up. We just need to give it a little time.”

Follow up on Monday:

“Frank feels a little bit better today, we’ll see where that’s at.”

Ragnow was able to play through his groin injury in Week 1, but when a foot injury was added to the mix, it proved too difficult to play through. It’s an encouraging sign that Ragnow has not been placed on injured reserve—meaning he would have to miss at least four weeks—but “a little time” doesn’t really firm up a timetable.

We will learn a bit more about Ragnow’s injury on Wednesday when the official injury report is released, but if Ragnow is unable to play, the Lions will once again turn to Evan Brown as a replacement. He played very well, especially as a pass protector last game.

It’s worth noting, too, that Campbell confirmed the injury was to the same foot that caused him to miss 13 games last season, but he did not indicate if it was the same injury.

Jonah Jackson (finger)

Update:

“Jonah’s probably relatively the same as he was two days ago. So it’s kind of day-to-day now.”

Can Jonah play through a finger injury?

“It’s honestly just kinda take it as it is. We’d like to see where he’s at Wednesday maybe. See how it feels. See if he feels like it’s something he can function with. So we just really won’t know until—it will be something that he feels like he can function with it and have success.”

Finger injuries sound minor, but that can be very challenging to play through, especially for an offensive lineman who spends all game moving 300+ pound defensive lineman around. “Day-by-day” is encouraging—Taylor Decker missed half of 2021 with a finger injury—but this also looks like a wait-and-see situation.

While losing a Pro Bowler at left guard is typically bad news, it provided an opportunity for Dan Skipper to step into the lineup and write his own unique story—one of the best of the week. If Jackson is unable to play, the Lions could get Skipper once again.

Amani Oruwariye (back)

Update:

“Amani feels better today. We’ll see where that’s at.”

Oruwariye had difficulty stretching his back out on Thursday and was pulled from practice. He missed the next practice and the game with an all too common back injury. So far, three linemen—Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Tommy Kraemer, and Levi Onwuzurike—have all been placed on injured reserve with back injuries, so while “better today” is positive, it’s also okay to be skeptical.

Will Harris started in place of Oruwariye last game and he used his physicality to make an impact from the secondary. He would be the natural replacement if Oruwariye remains sidelined.

John “Comish” Cominsky (hand)

Update:

“Comish, he’s got a hand (injury). So he’s getting checked out right now as we speak.”

Cominsky was injured against Washington and was seen leaving the locker room with a trainer to get x-rays. When they returned, the trainer left him with some instructions, then exited with Cominsky. He was not made available to reporters, likely due to the uncertainty of the injury, which is common practice.

Cominsky has been a big part of what the Lions do on defense recently and if he is unable to play next week, Austin Bryant would likely be his replacement in the lineup.

Charles Harris (unknown)

Update:

“Charles, we’ll see. He feels okay today.”

Harris’ injury is unknown. He played in 70 percent of the defensive snaps against the Commanders and made a big impact early with a strip-sack that resulted in a safety. The injury was never officially announced during the game, and Campbell didn’t provide any details on Monday, but his tone wasn’t exactly promising.