Lions vs Cowboys: Initial injury report & medical analysis

The Lions head into the Thursday night matchup vs the Cowboys after a rough week of news. After getting our hopes up that Frank Ragnow would cure the offensive line woes, those hopes were dashed when he was found to have a grade 3 hamstring tear and won't be coming back this season.

The Lions then went out and lost in uninspiring fashion on Thanksgiving to the Packers. To cap off the week, there were concerning details revealed about Kerby Joseph's knee injury as well as the end of Terrion Arnold's season.

All the bad news over the course of the week left many Lions fans like me feeling like Emperor Commodus in Gladiator...

"It vexes me.

I'm terribly vexed."

Vexation can turn to exhilaration quickly in an NFL season though… and that turn will need to start on Thursday Night. Because of the atypical Thursday-to-Thursday schedule, the initial injury report shows up here on Monday.

Before I get to the initial injury report, let's review all the big revelations that Dan Campbell made on Sunday.

Josh Paschal

Paschal's season ended last week when he was not activated after his 21-day window expired.

Dan Campbell stated, "Just wasn't enough time to really be able to say that we knew he would be able to get through the year or that he was ready."

There was a question whether he had a setback or whether he might have decided to basically retire. But it sounds like it was the Lions who decided to shut things down for the season. Paschal's placement on NFI allows the Lions to not have to pay out his salary.

Brock Wright

Campbell revealed that Wright has a trachea injury, which is the windpipe located in the neck.

"We're still sending out scans for this trachea. Seeing if there are any other second opinions... We're in a holding pattern.... Could be [long-term]."

While this injury is unusual, it may be the second one in 5 years for the Lions. Recall that in 2020, Frank Ragnow had a throat cartilage fracture that caused him to miss 2 games. Wright's injury may be similar. The good news here is that it isn't a spinal issue, which is always a possibility with a "neck" listing.

Kerby Joseph

Some details were finally revealed regarding Joseph's knee injury. Dan Campbell described the knee issue as "wear-and-tear….I don't think it's necessarily going away, you do your best to manage it…. Bone bruise was certainly part of it. He's got some wear."

Credit to the reporters who asked multiple follow-up questions regarding this key player. Here are Campbell's full responses if you want to listen to it yourself.

Joseph himself stated: "My knee's messed up."

While a specific diagnosis wasn't given, Campbell expressed concern for a chronic issue. One possibility that can cause a chronic issue is articular cartilage damage and loss. A bone bruise, which Campbell confirmed, can damage the articular cartilage.

Articular cartilage is what covers the surface of the bone and provides a slick surface for the joint to move. Unfortunately, cartilage loss can present a long-term issue as it can lead to chronic arthritic-type pain. Missing cartilage won't grow back by itself, but there are orthopedic procedures that can try to repair the defect.

Many players have played through articular cartilage damage. Former #1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney - who the Lions may see on Thursday - notably had microfracture surgery for it in 2014 and is still playing. It's very hard to predict the future when it comes to the effects of cartilage damage.

Why did Joseph not go on IR?

Many have asked recently why Kerby Joseph did not go on IR despite missing 6 games so far. Here are possible reasons:

1. Recovery may have been projected to be in the range of 4-8 weeks. IR mandates a 4-game absence which means a 5-week return to play. If the IR stint starts before the bye (like it would have with Joseph), then it would mean a 6-week return to play. If a star player like Joseph is in that gray area, it can be worth carrying him on the 53-man roster in case he is able to return earlier than IR would have allowed.

2. Healing is a projection and isn't exact. Neither the doctor nor the player know exactly when he'll be ready. If this was indeed a cartilage issue, recovery can be very unpredictable. His healing time may be taking longer than hoped.

3. Aggravations can occur during rehab that delay the recovery.

4. Teams can only have 48 active players every game (47 if the team doesn't have 8 offensive linemen). With a 53-man roster, at least 5 players must be declared inactive each game. Joseph has been one of those inactives. If he were on IR, another (healthy) player would be inactive. If you look at the inactive list every game, there are healthy players on there. Thus, carrying a limited number of injured players doesn't affect gameday much.

5. Teams are limited to 8 IR-returns (+ bonus 2 for playoffs) so keeping Joseph on the roster preserves a return. Early in the season, there is value to preserving returns just in case. Lions have used 5 returns so far, and don't appear to be at risk of running out of returns at this point.

Lions vs Cowboys initial injury report

Lions starters out:

• Out: Sam LaPorta, TE

• Out: Christian Mahogany, LG

• Possibly out: Graham Glasgow, C

• Possibly out: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR

• Out: Terrion Arnold, CB

• Likely out: Kerby Joseph, S

(NP - no practice, LP - limited practice, FP - full practice)

DETROIT LIONS

NP - Terrion Arnold, CB (shoulder) starter

Arnold played limited snaps on Thanksgiving and seemed to do fine. He did not have a shoulder listing prior to that game.

Unfortunately, he is getting surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Recall that he hurt his right shoulder in back-to-back weeks (4 & 5) which threatened his season back then. He will go on IR.

NP - Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR (right low ankle sprain)

St. Brown had a right low ankle sprain based on video and reporting from Tom Pelissero. A low ankle sprain can have a quick return to play, so hope for an upgrade to LP later in the week.

NP - Kalif Raymond, WR (left ankle)

On video, Raymond may have suffered a left high ankle sprain 2 games ago. He missed the last game. It's good news he's not on IR, but it looks like he's going to miss another game.

NP - Brock Wright, TE (trachea)

Wright has missed 1 game due to this injury. Back in 2020, Ragnow missed 2 games with a possibly similar injury. It's good news that Wright has not been placed on IR, but it's not looking good for this week.

LP - Brian Branch, S (toe/ankle) starter

Branch looked much healthier on Thanksgiving than he had the game before which is a great sign going forward. While he is still battling through this suspected right big toe injury, he should be in on Thursday.

LP - Taylor Decker, OT (right shoulder) starter

Decker is on track to play his 7th straight game. It appears his shoulder in stabilizing which is great news for this year and possibly next.

LP - Graham Glasgow, C (knee) starter

Glasgow missed last game but the LP has him potentially being available. It may come down to how the Lions feel about Trystan Colon's play last game. The offensive line pass protection seemed to improve in the second half of that game.

LP - Kerby Joseph, S (left knee) starter

While the LP is great news, it's his first practice in weeks and may not give him enough time to be ready on Thursday. The target return may be after the mini-bye vs his nemesis, Matthew Stafford.

LP - Sione Vaki, RB (thumb)

Vaki's ankle is off the report which is good news. The thumb was suspected to have been injured in practice prior to the Thanksgiving game in which he played. He'll likely be ready for the Cowboys.

LP - Shane Zylstra, TE (knee)

Good news for the Lions' beat-up TE group with Zylstra returning from IR. His 21-day window opened today.

He was hurt way back in Week 2 after getting rolled up on, which can cause ankle and knee injuries. The ankle presumably is fine, as only the knee is on the report.

NOTABLES UNLISTED

• Christian Mahogany, OG is still on IR but is eligible to return this week. It appears his recovery from a suspected left fibula fracture is going well. He could be ready to play by the end of December.

• Marcus Davenport, EDGE played on Thanksgiving for the first time since Week 2 (shoulder/pec). Great to see him unlisted.

• Miles Frazier, OG was activated to the 53-man roster last week after being on PUP with a knee. He was inactive last game but it appears the knee is good to go.

• Tate Ratledge, OG hurt his left knee vs the Eagles 3 weeks ago and was still on the report with a knee last week. Good to see that the knee is better. My other concern is a possible neck issue that has been bothering him for weeks. It's really good news that there is no neck on the report.

• Penei Sewell, OT ankle is off the report after injuring it on November 9.

• Isaac TeSlaa, WR unspecified hand injury is off the report.

• Jacob Saylors, RB back/shoulder is off the report.

PUP/NFI

• Alim McNeill, DT (ACL) - Returned to play Oct 20 (Day 20 of window)

• Malcolm Rodriguez, LB (ACL) - Returned to play Nov 23 (Day 27 post window)

• Josh Paschal, EDGE (back) - Window opened Nov 5. Was not activated which ends his season.

• Miles Frazier, OG (knee) - Window opened Nov 5 and currently on 53-man roster.

IR (injured reserve) - eligible to return this season

(Rules recap: There is no limit to the number of players that can be placed on IR. Must stay on IR for minimum 4 games. Only 8 are allowed to return during regular season plus bonus 2 for the playoffs. Last season, Lions used 7 returns during regular season and 1 during playoffs.)

Eligible return dates:

• Week 11 vs Eagles (Nov 16): Giovanni Manu

• Week 12 vs Giants (Nov 23):

• Week 13 vs Packers (Nov 27): Zach Cunningham

• current Week 14 vs Cowboys (Dec 4): Christian Mahogany

• Week 15 vs Rams (Dec 14): Sam LaPorta

• Week 16 vs Steelers (Dec 21):

• Week 17 vs Vikings (Dec 25)

• Week 18 vs Bears (TBD): Terrion Arnold

IR returns: 5 - Zylstra, Thomas, Reed, Davenport, Dorsey

IR players:

• Terrion Arnold, CB (shoulder, Dec 1) - Shoulder surgery and out for season.

• Sam LaPorta, TE (back, Nov 9) -  Unspecified back surgery and almost certainly out for the season.

• Pat O'Connor, DT (knee, Nov 2) - Placed on IR Nov 14, then released on Nov 15.

• Christian Mahogany, OG (suspected left fibula fracture, Nov 2) - This fracture is not necessarily season-ending. He has a chance to return in December.

• Zach Cunningham, LB (hamstring, Oct 20) - In his first game back from a hamstring first suffered at the end of September, he presumably injured it again.

• Giovanni Manu, OT (knee, Oct 9) - Presumably hurt himself in practice. On Nov 5, Dan Campbell stated: "Gio's still a few weeks out. I don't see us starting him within the next week or two."

• returned Khalil Dorsey, CB (wrist, Oct 3) - Returned to play Nov 23 (Day 4 of window)

• returned DJ Reed, CB (left hamstring, Sep 28) - Returned to play Nov 23 (Day 12 of window)

• returned Daniel Thomas, S (forearm fracture, Sep 22) - Returned to play November 9 (Day 14 of window)

• returned Marcus Davenport, EDGE (right pec strain, Sep 14) - Returned to play Nov 27 (Day 16 of window).

• returned Shane Zylstra, TE (suspected right high ankle sprain + knee, Sep 14) - His window opened on Dec 1.

• Jamarco Jones, OT (ankle, Sep 4) - Eligible to return anytime, but was ruled out for season.

• Ezekiel Turner, LB (Achilles, Aug 23) - Eligible to return anytime but suspected to not be returning. Note: there is uncertainty whether Turner was actually designated eligible to return on the cutdown date.

IR - NOT eligible to return this season (key players listed)

• Ennis Rakestraw, CB (shoulder)

• Levi Onwuzurike, DT (ACL)

• Kenny Yeboah, TE (unspecified)

• Colby Sorsdal, OG (leg)

• Justin Herron, OT (arm)

• Dan Jackson, S (leg)

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions vs Cowboys: Initial injury report & medical analysis