Josh Reynolds hopes his balky back will improve enough by Sunday to play against the Green Bay Packers. The Detroit Lions are not optimistic that will happen.
The Lions listed Reynolds as doubtful on their injury report Friday after the Lions’ second-leading receiver missed his second straight practice with a back injury.
Reynolds said his back locked up while trying to make a catch in practice Wednesday. He spent the past two days undergoing stimulus and heat treatments and doing core-strengthening exercises, and said he should know Saturday whether he’s able to play.
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“We still got another day before I got to make that decision, so I’m hopeful,” he said. “I’m a tough S.O.B. I don’t let too much stuff hold me back so I’m hoping this is the same thing,”
Reynolds is tied for second on the Lions with 26 catches for 357 yards while battling a slew of injuries this season. He suffered a low ankle sprain in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but played through that injury, then injured his PCL two weeks later at the end of a game against the New England Patriots.
Reynolds, who could not bend down to put his pants on as he was talking with reporters in the locker room Friday, said he believes his latest injury is due to overcompensating for the knee issue he’s been battling.
The Lions have played most of the season without receivers DJ Chark and Quintez Cephus, and rookie first-round pick Jameson Williams has yet to play because of the torn ACL he suffered in college. Leading receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also has missed time with a high ankle sprain and because he was in concussion protocol, leading Reynolds to say the room feels snake-bitten.
“It’s been tough on the team, man,” he said. “Kind of all position groups are banged and nicked up and stuff. Sometimes that’s just how the season unfolds. I was with the (Tennessee) Titans (for part of) last year, they were dealing with the same thing, just injuries. It’s hard to pinpoint what it could be, it’s just kind of one of those things, 100% injury rate in football so it was bound to happen at some point.”
If Reynolds can’t play, Kalif Raymond and Tom Kennedy will join St. Brown as the Lions’ starting receivers, and Lions coach Dan Campbell said the team likely will use receivers from its practice squad.
The Lions also will be without tight end T.J. Hockenson on Sunday after he was traded to the Vikings for a swap of future draft picks. Brock Wright practiced without a red no-contact jersey Friday, but remains in concussion protocol and is questionable against the Packers.
Defensive backs Chase Lucas (ankle), Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) and AJ Parker (hip) and offensive lineman Matt Nelson (calf) will miss Sunday’s game, while left tackle Taylor Decker (groin) and defensive end Charles Harris (groin) are questionable.
Harris returned to practice this week after a three-game absence and is expected to play.
D’Andre Swift improving
Running back D’Andre Swift also is questionable, though running backs coach Duce Staley said he expects Swift to have a bigger workload Sunday than he did last week.
“It’s a process,” Staley said. “You look back to last week, of course, getting out there, getting going, getting back, feeling good, trying to get some routes under his belt, trying to get some of those runs under his belt. He’s trending in the right way, so once again we continue to add on to it and move forward.”
Swift had 10 touches in his return from shoulder and ankle sprains last week against the Miami Dolphins, including five rushes for 6 yards. Jamaal Williams, who is on pace for his first career 1,000-yard rushing season, should play the lead role in the Lions backfield for the sixth straight game.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.