After ranking near the top of the NFL in games lost due to player injuries for the second straight year, the Detroit Lions will have a new director of player health and performance in 2023.
Arizona Cardinals physical therapist consultant Brett Fischer announced on social media he is leaving to become director of player health for the Lions.
Fischer is widely regarded as one of the top rehab specialists in the NFL, and works with players from all teams at his Arizona-based practice, Fischer Institute Consulting, in the offseason.
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The Lions dealt with a string of injuries early last season that contributed to their 1-6 start. Offensive skill players D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds missed a combined 13 games with ankle and shoulder injuries that in some cases limited their production throughout the year, linemen Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Tommy Kraemer and Levi Onwuzurike missed all of last season with back injuries, and safety Tracy Walker became the third prominent Lion to tear his Achilles tendon in 13 months,
The Lions won eight of their final 10 games to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2017, but missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
In 2021, the Lions had the third-most adjusted games lost due to injuries, according to a Football Outsiders calculation that takes into games where players played through injuries.
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Fischer thanked the Arizona Cardinals and owner Michael Bidwell “for giving me an amazing opportunity the past 15 seasons” in a post on Instagram and wrote he is “honored and proud to announce that I have been named the new Director of Player Health and Performance for the Detroit Lions.”
ESPN also reported Sunday that the New York Jets have requested permission to interview Lions assistant receivers coach Seth Ryan to be their new receivers coach.
Ryan is the son of former Jets coach Rex Ryan.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.