| The Detroit News
More than five weeks after he suffered the initial injury, Kenny Golladay remains sidelined by his ailing hip, casting doubt on the Detroit Lions wide receiver’s potential return for this Sunday’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
It’s been a lost season for Golladay, who led the NFL in touchdown receptions a year ago. After missing the first two games of this season with a hamstring strain, he’s appeared in just five total games.
In the four contests he started and finished, the Lions went 3-1, with the receiver either topping the 100-yard mark or scoring a touchdown. Against the Colts, he pulled up gingerly late in the first half. Prior to exiting, he had been held without a reception on four targets.
Beyond the impact it has had on the team, the injury also comes at a poor time for Golladay, given he is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. This will mark the second time in four years he’s been significantly hampered by injuries, bookending a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns.
In addition to Golladay, Lions coach Darrell Bevell also announced cornerback Jeff Okudah (shoulder), offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby (ankle) and special teams standout C.J. Moore wouldn’t practice Wednesday, while running back D’Andre Swift and defensive end Austin Bryant would likely be limited.
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If Okudah can’t go on Sunday, it would mark the third consecutive game the first-round pick has been held out with the injury he suffered against Carolina late last month. Crosby, meanwhile, had to exit last Sunday’s game against Chicago in the first half.
With Crosby out, the Lions were forced to turn to third-string tackle Matt Nelson, who performed admirably in the role, not allowing quarterback Matthew Stafford to be hit once on 35 dropbacks.
With Halapoulivaati Vaitai still on injured reserve, the Lions will likely need to add some depth at tackle before playing the Packers. The logical option would be veteran Dan Skipper, who is currently on the team’s practice squad.
As for Swift, Bevell said the plan is to ease him back into action after the rookie runner missed two games with a concussion, followed by an unrelated illness knocking him out of Sunday’s game against the Bears.
“He’s continued to improve each and every day, so we’re excited to see him out there at practice today,” Bevell said. “And like I told you, we’re trying to monitor how that goes and then see the next day. But so far, so good, and we expect him to be out there today.”
A final note on the injury front: Bevell said the team hopes to get defensive end Trey Flowers back before the end of the season. He’s been on injured reserve with an arm injury since the Colts game, but was spotted doing some work on the side with the training staff during a practice last week.
“Obviously, it would be a huge boost for us to be able to get a player of his caliber back,” Bevell said. “He’s progressing that way, I think that’s his mindset, which is probably the most important thing, and we’re looking forward to that day.”