Taking stock of injuries for Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles ahead of season opener

Step 1 in having a successful regular season? Staying healthy in the preseason, and as they approach their exhibition finale Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions appear to be in relatively good health.

The Lions have not suffered any major injuries in training camp, and the only players who have missed significant practice time — Levi Onwuzurike, Julian Okwara, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Quintez Cephus — are ticketed for rotational roles this fall.

Okwara’s injury is perhaps the most significant from a depth standpoint.

Okwara finished second on the Lions with five sacks last season and was a candidate to start at strong-side linebacker depending on how the Lions deployed their front.

He did not travel to last week’s joint practices and game against the Indianapolis Colts, but had been a regular observer at practices before then, indicating a return could be close.

The Lions beefed up their pass rush this offseason, drafting Aidan Hutchinson and re-signing Charles Harris in free agency. With Austin Bryant’s emergence as a third edge rusher, they seem to be in good position to weather Okwara’s absence if he cannot return by the season-opener Sept. 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

MONDAY’S OBSERVATIONS: Here’s what players got from practicing without coaches

Onwuzurike has not practiced since aggravating a back and hip injury on the first day of pads Aug. 1. The second-year defensive lineman missed a large chunk of training camp last summer with a similar injury, but played in 16 games in the regular season.

Onwuzurike’s health problems date to college, so while he projects as a key rotational player on the interior line along with Michael Brockers and Alim McNeill, the Lions have prepared for his absence. John Cominsky and Demetrius Taylor have played well along the interior line, and the team added Isaiah Buggs for run-stopping help before the start of camp.

“He didn’t make the trip (to Indianapolis last week),” Lions defensive line coach Todd Wash said. “He was able to stay back and rehab. They’re telling us it’s going well. Obviously, we’d like to get him back as quick as we possibly can. But right now we focus on the ones that are able to play. We sit and tease about we’ve got to coach the ones that are in the room and those that can be on grass. But he’s responding well and it’s just time.”

Melifonwu, who is changing positions from cornerback to safety this summer, and Cephus, who is competing for a backup job at receiver, are in roster battles to make the team.

Cephus returned to practice from his leg injury last week, but was limited to individual drills until Monday. Both players missed significant time last season and were not expected to be starters early in the season.

Lions coach Dan Campbell trumpeted his team’s physical approach to training camp in video captured by “Hard Knocks” on the first day of pads, saying studies show that is the best way to calcify players’ bodies to help them survive the rigors of the season.

On Monday, he said that approach “certainly (is) not fireproof, but you play the odds and you do the best you can with what you’ve got in front of you.”

JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers’ disastrous 2022 dragging down hopes for Lions, Michigan, MSU

Last year, the Lions went 3-13-1 after Onwuzurike, defensive tackle Michael Brockers and running back D’Andre Swift missed significant time in training camp and Taylor Decker fractured his finger in practice before the start of the regular season.

“You think about everything that the tendons and the joints and the muscles go through on impact,” Campbell said. “The body is highly adaptable if you do it the right way. But if you don’t put them under that stress and you’re not getting that intensity and really some of those collisions, and you’re getting 20 of those in practice and then you go out and play 75 plays, you can only imagine how much more intense it is so you’re setting them up for (possible injury).”

Even if Okwara and Onwuzurike make it back, the Lions likely will be without several prominent names for the start of the regular season.

Rookie first-round pick Jameson Williams is expected to be out until midseason with the knee injury he suffered in his final game at Alabama, and defensive end Romeo Okwara has not practiced since rupturing his Achilles tendon last October.

The Lions can place Williams on the nonfootball injury list and Okwara on the physically unable to perform list as soon as Tuesday to start the regular season.

Campbell said “there’s a good chance … maybe three out of the five” players the Lions currently have on PUP and NFI will start the season on those lists.

Fullback Jason Cabinda, defensive tackle Josh Paschal and cornerback Jerry Jacobs also are on PUP. Jacobs and Williams would contend for starting jobs if healthy, and Cabinda could be the Lions’ fullback.

“We’re going back and forth, and so much of it is when do we think some of those players will be ready,” Campbell said. “Week 2? And you do that and (put them on PUP on Tuesday) then you lose them for the first four weeks of the season, which, that’s OK. But yet if we think somebody’ll be ready to practice, for example Jerry, let’s say Week 1, but he won’t be ready to play for a bit, two or three more weeks or something, you just, you want to get him practice time. He needs practice once everything’s right, so we’re kind of gauging that right now.”

The Eagles, like the Lions, have avoided major injury in training camp and are in a good place health-wise heading into the regular season.

Starting center Jason Kelce underwent elbow surgery earlier this month in a procedure the team described as a “routine cleanout.” Kelce is on track to play against the Lions in the opener.

Starting running back Miles Sanders missed practice with a hamstring injury last week, but reportedly is expected back by Week 1. Starting cornerback James Bradberry (hamstring) and defensive lineman Javon Hargrove (toe) also have missed time with injuries but are in line to play against the Lions barring setbacks.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.