Lions coach Dan Campbell offered the latest injury news on Graham Glasgow, Alex Anzalone, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
More Detroit Lions players will be returning the the lineup, and potentially soon. Lions coach Dan Campbell offered more injury updates on Monday after the team’s 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears , and it was mostly very positive. Here’s the latest.
Graham Glasgow will be back… and will start
Lions left guard Graham Glasgow missed last week with a knee injury, but Campbell indicated he expects the veteran offensive lineman to return this week.
“Yeah, I see Graham coming back,” Campbell said. “I think he’s going to be ready to roll.”
In Glasgow’s place, the Lions gave rookie Christian Mahogany his first career start against the Bears. Campbell believed the sixth-round pick’s starting debut was promising.
“It was encouraging,” Campbell said. “I did think he tried to play violent. It was not too big for him. I thought Frank (Ragnow) and (Taylor) Decker and them helped him out, sandwiched between those two. And I thought, man, first time out—he was another guy, he didn’t get to play any preseason as a rookie, but he’s continued to just get better and better.”
Regardless, the job is still Glasgow’s, and he’s expected to start against the 49ers .
“He’s going to slip right back at left guard and start for us and be great,” Campbell said.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin could return this week
Last week, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin returned to practice, starting his 21-day evaluation window while he remains on injured reserve. Campbell wouldn’t fully commit to anything, but he noted that Reeves-Maybin could potentially play this week.
“We’ll see where Germ (Reeves-Maybin) is at. He’s somebody that’s a potential candidate (to return), Jalen Reeves-Maybin,” Campbell said. “We started him last week, he got a practice or two, we’re going to give him more this week, see how he feels, where it’s at. He is somebody that could potentially be brought up.”
If Reeves-Maybin can’t play, the Lions have a plethora of linebackers that they’ve relied upon lately. Against the Bears, the Lions used a combination of Jack Campbell, Ben Niemann, Trevor Nowaske, Ezekiel Turner, and Anthony Pittman.
Niemann got an unprompted shoutout from his head coach on Monday.
“Ben Niemann did some really good things,” Campbell noted.
Alex Anzalone may not be ready this week
Anzalone has been on injured reserve since Week 11 when he broke his forearm against the Jaguars. While the veteran linebacker is nearing a return, Campbell isn’t sure he’ll practice this week.
“It’s close. I don’t know about this week, (but) it’s close,” Campbell said.
Anzalone is eligible to come off injured reserve whenever he is ready.