DETROIT -- Jarrad Davis and Frank Ragnow are both expected to return to the Detroit Lions this season.
When that will happen remains unclear, but coach Matt Patricia said on a conference call with beat reporters that Davis and Ragnow are not candidates for injured reserve right now. That indicates Detroit thinks both players could return sometime in the first half of the season, which is terrific news on both fronts and especially for Davis, whose injury appeared to be more serious.
Players on injured reserve must miss at least the first eight weeks of the season.
“In regards to Frank and JD, obviously two guys that had some injuries last night," Patricia said. "Just to let everybody know, these injuries are not season-ending. They’ll be healing day-by-day. We’re still evaluating where they’ll be at. The one great thing about these two guys is they have tremendous work ethic and we know they’ll be working as hard as they can to get back as soon as possible.”
Davis and Ragnow both suffered leg injuries when players rolled up on the back of their legs in an exhibition loss on Friday night against Buffalo. Davis’ injury seemed especially bad. He was helped off the field after just two plays and evaluated on the bench before being carted into the locker room. Players came over to offer well-wishes, and even Patricia flagged him on his way out of the stadium. That’s usually a sign an injury is feared to be serious.
David Chao, the former team doctor for the Chargers, said the best-case scenario for Davis was a severe high-ankle sprain.
Given that Davis isn’t going on IR, it seems he got about the best news possible. And that’s very good news for a defense that in many ways has been built around him.
Patricia, a former linebackers coach, has constructed this defense from the middle-out. Davis anchors the middle linebacker spot, and calls out the defensive plays on the field. He played well down the stretch last year, led the team in tackles and finished third in sacks. He was practicing well this year too, and even bigger things were expected of him in his second year in the system and third year in Detroit overall.
He was also expected to step into a leadership role, with Glover Quin now retired.
Until Davis returns, rookie Jahlani Tavai is expected to shoulder an expanded role.
“JD does a tremendous job inside the building and outside the building," Patricia said. “He just loves football. It’s 24/7 with him. He loves to study it, he loves to learn. Obviously with the linebacker position, he’s a guy on our team -- with (Devon) Kennard and Christian (Jones) even with Tavai being very young, that is a position group that is kind of my upbringing through the defensive football in the NFL. It’s a group that I’m spending a lot of time with from a standpoint of understanding where the defense comes from. ‘JD’ is one of those guys that just loves that information, loves to continue to try to get better.”
As for Ragnow, he just has a mild ankle sprain according to NFL Network. The timetable for an injury like that can vary depending on the severity of the injury, but like Davis, it seems very much like he’s avoided significant injury.