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Detroit Lions injury news: Dan Campbell provides updates on plethora of players
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- Detroit Lions injury news: Dan Campbell provides updates on plethora of players
The Detroit Lions suffered massive injury casualties in Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills , losing three starters ( cornerback Carlton Davis III, defensive tackle Alim McNeill and running back David Montgomery ) and one of their best special teams players (gunner Khalil Dorsey ) to season-ending or potentially season-ending injuries.
Here's everything Lions coach Dan Campbell had to say about those and other injuries at his day-after news conference Monday.
Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) lays on the field after a play against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024.
RB David Montgomery
Montgomery injured his right knee in the first half Sunday and played through the pain. He underwent testing Monday that revealed an MCL injury and while the Lions' second-leading rusher still is assessing his options, he could be done for the year.
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"Looks like he's going to require surgery that'll put him out for the rest of the year," Campbell said. "He had gotten it at some point yesterday in that game. I mean, David's so tough, man. He continued to play through and then got it checked out today and realized that's what it was.
"He's just the ultimate teammate, ultimate competitor. We're going to miss him, man. He's another one of these guys that got us to this position, helped get us to where we're at and the rest of us, we owe him to keep going and make sure that wasn't in vain."
CB Carlton Davis III
Davis broke his jaw in the first half of Sunday's game and, according to ESPN, and will require surgery that will sideline him indefinitely. NFL Network reported the earliest Davis could return is the NFC championship game.
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Campbell said the Lions are debating how best to configure their secondary in Davis' absence.
Asked Monday if he expected Davis to miss the rest of the season, Campbell said, "Not sure on that one. Not sure how long that's going to be, I just know in the immediate future I don't see (him returning)."
DT Alim McNeill and DB Khalil Dorsey
McNeill tore his ACL and will undergo season-ending surgery, a source told the Free Press early Monday.
Campbell said he hopes his team rallies around Davis, McNeill and Dorsey, who underwent immediate surgery to repair his broken leg after being transported the hospital during the game.
"Mac's out for the year," Campbell said. "He's got a knee injury that's going to require surgery. Dorsey had his last night. C.D., he's got a jaw, he'll be out. So those guys helped us get to this point, so we owe it to them. They laid it on the line for us."
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DBs Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Campbell said he expects the Lions to open Melifonwu's 21-day return-to-practice window this week, though it's too early to know if he'll be able to contribute in this weekend's game against the Chicago Bears .
Melifonwu has not played this season. He missed the start of the year with an Achilles injury, then broke his ring finger in his return to practice from his first IR stint.
Rakestraw remains on IR with a hamstring injury and is not yet ready to return, Campbell said.
"I see (Melifonwu's) clock starting, and so then it's, 'Well, OK, that's good. We get him out at practice. Do we think he could help us as early as Sunday?'" Campbell said. "I don't know that right now and I won't till we get him out there running around a little bit."
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OG Graham Glasgow
Glasgow was one of the last players in the Lions locker room Sunday after going for postgame X-rays. He played all 79 offensive snaps against the Bills and avoided serious injury.
"He's a little sore, but he came out OK," Campbell said.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions injury updates on Alim McNeill, Carlton Davis, David Montgomery
