Detroit Lions Jameson Williams hostile environments
Williams said the most hostile environments were at Texas A&M and Green Bay.
If the Detroit Lions are going to knock off the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and improve their chances of getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, they’re going to do so without one of their top offensive weapons, and at last two key starters in their secondary.
The Lions ruled out tight end Sam LaPorta, cornerback Terrion Arnold and safety Kerby Joseph on Friday, Nov. 14, for the matchup of NFC powers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday (8:20 p.m., NBC).
LaPorta is dealing with a back injury, Arnold is in concussion protocol and Joseph will miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury.
The Lions (6-3) also ruled out defensive tackle Josh Paschal, who remains on the nonfootball injury list in his return from back surgery.
LaPorta’s absence leaves the Lions (6-3) thin at tight end and could vault Brock Wright and Ross Dwelley into more substantial roles. Wright has nine catches for 71 yards this year and typically plays as the Lions’ No. 2 tight end. Dwelley has not caught a pass this season, in 50 offensive snaps over seven games.
LaPorta is second on the Lions with 40 catches and 489 yards.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said he has “sky-high” confidence in Wright and Dwelley’s ability to fill in for LaPorta.
“Brock’s a guy we don’t talk a lot about but he’s the jack-of-all-trades,” Campbell said. “He does everything for us: Pass protect, run block, he can run some routes, he plays special teams. He’s one of the most dependable players we have on this team. And at the end of the day, what you really need in the tight end position is versatility and smarts and he’s got both of those – and he’s tough.”
Practice squad receiver Jackson Meeks also has practiced at tight end in recent weeks and could contribute at the position Sunday.
Meeks doesn’t have a typical tight end frame at 6 feet 2 and 218 pounds, but he began playing tight end on the scout team last month and has worked position drills with the group since before the bye week.
“We’re just kind of tinkering with him,” Campbell said. “Maybe there’s an H-back in there. There’s an athlete, so we’ll see. We’re just going to keep working with him. He works hard. Man, he works hard and he’s smart too.”
The Lions could be without as many as four of their top five defensive backs Sunday.
Along with Arnold and Joseph, cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Amik Robertson are questionable with hamstring injuries. Campbell said he does not see Reed playing – Reed is on injured reserve, though the Lions have an open spot on their 53-man roster after placing defensive lineman Pat O’Connor on injured reserve Friday –while Robertson was limited in practice Friday and said he expects to test his injury out before the game to see if he can go.
The Lions also listed defensive end Marcus Davenport as questionable after Davenport returned to practice this week for the first time since September because of a pectoral injury. Davenport also is on IR.
Offensive tackles Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Penei Sewell (ankle) sat out practice Friday and are questionable to play – both practiced Thursday – and Wright, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, guard Miles Frazier, running backs Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors also are questionable.
Wright said he will play through the ankle injury he suffered in last week’s win over the Washington Commmanders.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.