Lions injury updates: Jerry Jacobs returns to practice, David Montgomery still out

The Detroit Lions returned to practice on Thursday—their first in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Running back David Montgomery was still sidelined with an injury, but cornerback Jerry Jacobs was back on the field after missing Sunday’s game.

Montgomery has been out since suffering a rib injury in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Expectations were for him to miss a few games, so it remains unlikely that he’ll play against the Raiders this week, but there are signs of progress. For the first time since the injury, Montgomery was out on the field working with a trainer.

“Yeah, best I can tell you on David is he just continues to improve,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

Campbell also used the opportunity to praise rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who started last week, gained 126 scrimmage yards, and scored his first touchdown while playing nearly 87 percent of the team’s snaps.

“I saw an improving player, took a step up, and that’s all you can ask for is growth,” Campbell said. “So, we anticipate he takes another step up and we’ll keep doing things that we feel like he does well and where he can continue to grow, but we’re pleased with where he’s at.”

Per the Detroit News, Jacobs suffered a knee injury in last Friday’s practice and was a late addition to the injury report. He would end up missing the Ravens game after going through a pre-game workout. His returning to the practice field would suggest he’s on track to play on Monday.

In addition to Montgomery, center Frank Ragnow, guard Jonah Jackson, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, and defensive tackle Benito Jones all missed Thursday’s practice. We’ll know more about their conditions when the injury report drops later in the day.