On the day they get back one of their most dangerous offensive weapons, the Lions will likely be missing two others.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs are expected to miss Sunday's game against the Panthers due to injuries. St. Brown, Detroit's leading receiver, is still recovering from an abdomen injury he suffered in last week's win over the Packers and Gibbs, the 12th overall pick, injured his hamstring in practice last week. Gibbs' absence would mean another heavy workload for David Montgomery, who's coming off a career-high 32 carries against the Packers.
On the bright side, Jameson Williams, last year's 12th overall pick, is poised to make his season debut Sunday after being reinstated by the NFL two games early from his gambling suspension. Just don't expect Williams to play a whole lot of snaps. Similar to last year when he debuted late in the season after recovering from a torn ACL, Williams is expected to play a limited role Sunday as the Lions ease him back into their offense.
"Every week, we're intentional about getting everyone involved in doing things that they're capable of doing," offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Thursday. "Whether the play gets called or whether the coverage dictates the ball going to them, that's a different story. But here's what I'll say about Jamo: If he's active this week, he will have plays in for him this week."
On the other side of the ball, the Lions will be without rookie defensive back Brian Branch (ankle) on Sunday, but hope to see the return of safety Kerby Joseph, who's missed the last two games with a hip injury, and the debut of cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who should be ready to go after recovering from a torn ACL last season and a subsequent hamstring injury last month.
Joseph and Moseley, both listed as questionable, were full participants in Friday's practice.
