Amid injury updates, Lions head coach Dan Campbell outlined initial discussions to fill the void at cornerback.
Amid more dire injury updates coming off Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, the update Detroit Lions head coach had on cornerback Carlton Davis landed a little softer on Monday afternoon.
“Not sure yet on that one,” Campbell said. “Not sure how long that’s going to be. I just know in the immediate future, I don’t see it.”
Davis suffered a fractured jaw against the Bills, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reporting he could return in six weeks. That would align with a return for the NFC Championship Game if the Lions get there. Campbell was non-committal about that possible playoff return, as expected.
Cornerback Khalil Dorsey is out for the season after suffering a brutal leg injury against the Bills. Right after the game, Campbell compared it to Aidan Hutchinson’s injury from back in Week 6 (fractured tibia and fibula). On Monday, Campbell said Dorsey had surgery on Sunday night.
So the Lions’ cornerback depth is being tested. Davis is borderline irreplaceable, and maybe you can removed borderline from that description.
Dan Campbell talks about options to fill injury void at cornerback
Kindle Vildor stepped in against the Bills, and despite it being easy to lament his presence he has played well when called upon lately. Of course Terrion Arnold isn’t going anywhere in one starting spot.
Campbell ran through some options at cornerback that he and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have started to discuss.
“Certainly E-man (Emmanuel Moseley) is somebody that we have on the roster,” Campbell said. “We’ve already got Vildor, who helped us out finishing that game. You’ve still got TA (Arnold). And you’re right, (Brian) Branch, he’s somebody we’ve got to talk about. What do we do with Branch? Do we keep him where he’s at? Do we move him? We’ve got Amik (Robertson). Does Amik stay inside? Does he go outside?”
After a preseason injury, Moseley made his season debut in Week 12. Another injury popped up to cost him the Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears, and he’s been a healthy scratch in each of the last two games.
Moving Amik Robertson from the slot to outside, where he played a lot for the Raiders last year, is certainly on the table. As apparently is moving Brian Branch to the slot corner role he was so good in as a rookie last year.
Rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw is on IR and could have his activation window opened this week, but Campbell said he’s not ready yet. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is expected to have his 21-day return clock from IR started this week, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play on Sunday against the Bears.
Of course the list of available cornerback options is not robust right now, though there is a former Brad Holmes draft pick (Chase Lucas) on the 49ers’ practice squad. So the Lions will flesh out internal options to fill the void left by the injuries to Davis and Dorsey, because it’s about all they can do.
