ALLEN PARK — Cornerback Terrion Arnold is closer to returning for the Detroit Lions coming out of the bye week. And the Lions will also see the return of two depth defenders to practice this week.
Arnold has missed the last two games while dealing with a shoulder injury. The second-year cornerback played through the lingering issue against the Cincinnati Bengals, but missed the games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The second-year corner returned for one practice before the bye, with the upcoming game against the Minnesota Vikings sounding like his target.
“We’re going to take a good look at Arnold; he’s going to practice tomorrow,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “Get him worked in. See how he feels. See what it looks like.
“He feels good. He says he feels good. He has been kind of running around a little bit. But we’ll get him padded up tomorrow, so we’ll get a really good look at him.”
Arnold would be a nice re-addition to the outside cornerback rotation with Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin. Last year’s first-round pick has struggled while on the field this season. But there is a ton of trust in his ability and fit in the defense to recover.
Robertson and Ya-Sin have started on the outside over the last two weeks. When Ya-Sin exited last Monday’s win, former Saginaw Valley State standout Nick Whiteside stepped in and made a handful of big plays in relief. Arnold’s return boosts the depth and puts another cornerback on the field with a ton of snaps under their belt.
Campbell also said they will open the 21-day return to practice clock for linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and safety Daniel Thomas. Rodriguez is expected to practice on Tuesday, while Thomas’ acclimation period is already open, per the Lions coach.
Rodriguez has been out of action since suffering an ACL injury late last November. The fourth-year linebacker boosts the team’s linebacker depth with Zach Cunningham (hamstring) on injured reserve. Rodriguez is also an instant impact addition to special teams. He might need a week or two to get back to action and game speed, but his return to practice is a great sign.
Thomas suffered a broken forearm against the Baltimore Ravens last month. The 27-year-old safety and special teamer underwent surgery for the issue, and was already playing through a broken bone in his hand. The Lions claimed Thomas via waivers after initial rosters were set, and he immediately stepped into a high-volume special teams role.
The Lions will get back safety Brian Branch after his suspension. And they were always hopeful the bye week would help All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph’s knee injury calm down. Top cornerback D.J. Reed has one game left on his required four-game injured reserve stint.
After beating the Bucs with a makeshift secondary, the Lions could be returning to full health much sooner than later.
“We started Thomas’ clock, so he’ll be running around out there,” Campbell said. “And I think we’re going to start Rodriguez tomorrow. We’ll start his clock.
“Those are all pretty good things right now with where we’re at.”
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