Kerby Joseph's knee injury could be chronic.
While Joseph's condition is improving and the Lions are hopeful that he can play for the first time in seven games Thursday against the Cowboys, Dan Campbell said Sunday that he's not sure whether the injury will entirely clear up in the future.
"It’s hard to say. I don’t think it’s necessarily going away, but I think you do the best you can to manage it," Campbell said. "It’s like a lot of these guys: you know they’ve got some injuries dealing with cartilage or meniscus or anything like that, you do your best to manage it. There will always be a little wear and tear, it’s just, how bad is it?
"But I do know that the more you can strengthen and stabilize, that helps a ton. Helps with the swelling, helps with the pain. So, that’s where we’re at."
Joseph raised concern among Lions fans on Sunday with a couple vague statements on social media. First he wrote on X that he was at a loss for words -- from an account that he later deleted/suspended -- and then he wrote on Instagram, "God Help Me."
The Lions' All-Pro safety hasn't played since re-injuring his knee in the Lions' Week 6 loss to the Chiefs, after slamming it into the Ford Field turf in their Week 4 win over the Browns. Joseph also suffered a separate knee injury in training camp.
Campbell said the injury is partly a bone bruise, along with the fact that "he’s just got some wear." And it doesn't sound like that wear will be undone. As for Joseph's prolonged absence, "A lot of it is just trying to get some stability and strength in the leg," Campbell said.
"Which in turn will help some of the pain, but also some of the wear and tear. The stronger you get it in there, it stabilizes it, so it doesn’t wear out as fast or create that kind of pain with it," Campbell said. "That’s really what a lot of it is right now."
Joseph, 25, signed a four-year, $86 million extension with the Lions in April that kicks in next season and makes him the second highest-paid safety in the NFL. Most of the guaranteed money is front-loaded, meaning Detroit could cut him loose after 2026 -- if it comes to that -- without incurring much in the way of dead cap hits.
The Lions' defense has started to struggle without Joseph, yielding 58 points, 629 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and no picks in the last two games. They could certainly use him Thursday against Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and the No. 1 passing attack in the NFL.
Campbell said that Joseph would "be running around" during individual drills at Sunday's walk-through and that "he’s doing a little bit more" than he has in weeks past. He does have a chance to suit up against the Cowboys in what feels like a must-win game for the Lions.
"He’s closer than he was before," Campbell said, "He’s close. We’ll know a lot more really (on Monday) ... But he is getting better, like we said. He gets better every week."