ALLEN PARK -- Terrion Arnold isn’t ready for game action just yet despite returning to practice earlier this week.
The second-year Detroit Lions cornerback made a surprising return to practice on Friday. But Arnold was absent on Saturday, and Dan Campbell said they are just trying to get him moving without rushing the issue.
“I don’t see him Monday,” the Lions coach said Saturday. “That was just get him out there moving around in individual. He’s still got a little bit to go here to make sure that he’s ready or can be ready to produce, protect himself, all of that. But he’s improving. That’s a positive sign.”
Taylor Decker was not at Saturday’s practice after returning to the field on Thursday and Friday. But the veteran left tackle and his injured shoulder are trending in the right direction for Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Decker has missed the last two games while the Lions work to get his injured shoulder calmed down. Giovanni Manu started two weeks ago, but has since landed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. And veteran Dan Skipper filled the hole at left tackle in Kansas City last week. It seems like a good chance Decker will be out there against the Bucs on Monday night, with a well-earned bye week for him and his shoulder on the horizon.
All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph remains a name to watch heading into the next game. Joseph has once again not practiced this week, with the Lions opting to rest his knee heading into games. He has played every game this season, notching three interceptions in six games.
With the added pressure on the secondary with safety Brian Branch’s one-game suspension, the Lions are going to need Joseph more than ever.
“I know he’s doing a lot better. We just want to be smart with it and see where he’s at,” Campbell said. “But he is feeling better, he’s getting better.
" ... time will help, time could help. So, we’ll see. But look there’s a lot of guys too that are dealing with a lot of things. And you can’t have every player -- you can’t lose every guy, so you’ve just got to gauge where some of them are at. Some of them are worse than others. And he’s dealing with something and it’s affecting him right now, so we’ve just got to get it to calm down (and) help him.”
In all, the Lions were without wide receiver Kalif Raymond (undisclosed), running back Sione Vaki (groin), defensive back Avonte Maddox (hamstring), Joseph, Arnold and Decker on Saturday.
Raymond played last week after suffering a neck injury two weeks ago in Cincinnati. He has not been on the practice report all week, so this was an unexpected absence.
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