The Detroit Lions (8-5) are set to face the Los Angeles Rams (10-3) on the road at SoFi Stadium in Week 15. Injuries continue to hit the Lions’ secondary hard, particularly at safety, where two starters are either done for the season or may miss the remainder of games, and a key backup is also dealing with health issues. Brian Branch is out for the year after tearing his Achilles in Week 14, and Kerby Joseph, who has already missed seven games due to a knee problem, experienced a setback in practice that could land him on injured reserve.
Backup safety Thomas Harper was injured in Week 14, suffering a concussion in the first quarter and not returning for the rest of the contest. Since the injury happened on a Thursday, Harper received three additional days to complete concussion protocols. However, his limited participation in practice led the team to officially list him as questionable. The final step for him to be cleared is approval from an Independent Neurological Consultant.
On X, the Lions announced Harper has been moved from questionable to out for Sunday’s game against the Rams. With Harper sidelined, Avonte Maddox is expected to start at safety, paired with one of Daniel Thomas, Jalen Mills, Damontae Kazee, or Erick Hallett. Kazee and Hallett are currently on the practice squad, meaning the team must elevate one of them to the active roster by 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday to be eligible to play.
secondary hard, particularly at safety, where two starters are either done for the season or may miss the remainder of games, and a key backup is also dealing with health issues. Brian Branch is out for the year after tearing his Achilles in Week 14, and Kerby Joseph, who has already missed seven games due to a knee problem, experienced a setback in practice that could land him on injured reserve.
Backup safety Thomas Harper was injured in Week 14, suffering a concussion in the first quarter and not returning for the rest of the contest. Since the injury happened on a Thursday, Harper received three additional days to complete concussion protocols. However, his limited participation in practice led the team to officially list him as questionable. The final step for him to be cleared is approval from an Independent Neurological Consultant.
On X, the Lions announced Harper has been moved from questionable to out for Sunday’s game against the Rams. With Harper sidelined, Avonte Maddox is expected to start at safety, paired with one of Daniel Thomas, Jalen Mills, Damontae Kazee, or Erick Hallett. Kazee and Hallett are currently on the practice squad, meaning the team must elevate one of them to the active roster by 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday to be eligible to play.
