The Detroit Lions’ secondary has experienced a succession of significant losses, but they may soon see a significant return.
Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson could be on his way back to the field soon, the first time since suffering a torn pectoral in Week 2.
Gardner-Johnson has been on injured reserve since then, but Campbell intimated that he would return soon.
Dan Campbell Wants C.J. Gardner-Johnson Back ‘ASAP’
Gardner-Johnson was medically cleared to return to the Lions on December 14 after undergoing surgery for a torn pectoral muscle. Campbell praised the veteran defensive back’s ability to recover rapidly and stated that he would be back on the field “soon.”
“Yeah, I got the same report, which is good news,” Campbell remarked, as reported by the Detroit News. “This is fantastic news. So, as previously stated, he is an X-Men member. He possesses these mutant genes since he has recovered swiftly, regained strength, and (the pectoral muscle) is secure. So, yeah, he’ll be ready to come here pretty soon.”
The Lions have not specified a timetable for Gardner-Johnson’s return and have not yet activated his 21-day window to return from injured reserve and rejoin the active roster.
But Campbell assured reporters that he will be back as soon as possible.
“The plan will be let’s get him going ASAP,” he went on to say. “That was the plan.” Allow him to practice getting his legs back beneath him. “Get him in football shape.”
Gardner-Johnson was one of the team’s most significant offseason additions as they sought to shore up a secondary that was among the worst in the league in 2022. The former Philadelphia Eagles safety was expected to play a multi-positional role in Detroit, since he can play both safety and slot corner.
The Lions’ offense hopes to rebound in Week 15.
After putting up one of their worst performances of the season in a 28-13 defeat to the Chicago Bears on December 10, Detroit’s offense will aim to rebound against an improving Denver Broncos defense on Saturday.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that his club will face a well-rounded approach against the Lions.
“These guys obviously run the ball well, and have the ability to then go off play-action or drop back,” Payton told the Denver Post on December 14. “It’s not just one thing.”
Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton believes his team must first focus on stopping Detroit’s ground game, understanding that the run serves to build up quarterback Jared Goff and the passing game.
“The games that they’ve won and kind of controlled, they’ve run the ball really well and then play-action and they can take over the game with the deep balls and those receivers,” Singleton said in an interview with the Denver Post. “You have to stop the run to beat them.” I know we say that about every team, but it’s more important for this one.
