The Detroit Lions returned to the practice field Wednesday to prepare for their Week 18 showdown against the Minnesota Vikings.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice. He had been tabled as day-to-day with an ankle injury by coach Dan Campbell. Other non-participants included offensive tackle Taylor Decker and tight end Brock Wright.
The Lions plan to play their starters against the Minnesota Vikings, as they could still earn the NFC’s No. 2 seed with a win and losses by both Dallas and Philadelphia.
However, Campbell also said decisions regarding injured players would be made with their best interests in mind ahead of the postseason.
“I mean, there’s some guys here, if we feel like the best thing for them would be to sit because of injury, we’re thinking about that,” Campbell said. “We’re taking that into consideration.”
The Lions are expecting to get multiple contributors back on the defensive side of the ball, including safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive tackle Alim McNeill. Campbell is hoping to add both to the active roster this week, with James Houston in the running to return in the first round of the postseason.
McNeill is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and he officially started his 21-day practice clock by participating Wednesday.
“Any time you feel like you’re getting some of your good football players back, it’s exciting. You’re asking about ‘Mac’ (McNeill), that’s a good football player,” Campbell explained. “You’re talking about ‘Ducey’ (Gardner-Johnson), if we can get him back this week, that’s a good football player. With that, you feel ‘Iffy’ (Ifeatu Melifonwu) and Kerby (Joseph) growing on the back end and growing together and getting better. And (Brian) Branch. So then, you think about Ducey getting back in there, it does, you open up possibilities. You get another play-maker back in the game. So, it is, it’s exciting.”
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