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Debating what to look for in Detroit Lions next head coach
The guys discuss the Lions’ loss to the Packers, what to look for in next head coach, Matthew Stafford’s future and more, Dec. 14, 2020.
Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah’s season is over.
Interim coach Darrell Bevell said Monday that Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, will have surgery Tuesday to repair his groin and then will be placed on injured/reserve.
The Free Press previously reported Okudah would have surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Okudah has had a rocky first season, starting six of the nine games he’s played and missing the last two weeks with a shoulder injury.
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“Yeah, I think he’s going to have a bright future,” Bevell said. “It’s been a tough year for him. He’s kind of in and out of the lineup a little bit with injuries. And that can happen with a young player. You’ve got to get your body used to this grind and this type of season that you have in the (NFL) and I think he’ll only be better for what he’s gone through this year.
“And I expect him to go out and get the surgery and come back with a renewed attitude and renewed effort to get himself in shape and get himself ready to play and ready for this grind.”
The highest cornerback drafted since Shawn Springs went third overall in 1997, Okudah struggled out of the gate with no formal offseason program and a truncated training camp due to COVID-19 restrictions.
He missed the Lions’ Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears with a hamstring injury, then spent the next two weeks covering two of the NFL’s top receivers, Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins.
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While Okudah has been one of the Lions’ best run-defending defensive backs, he has allowed 41 completions in 53 targets and two touchdowns, with a 118 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Reference.
He made his lone career interception in a Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.