Campbell: Joseph Returning to Practice, Skipper Is a 'Grunt'

Campbell offers positive update on Joseph, praises Dan Skipper's effort.

Detroit Lions T Dan Skipper. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions were served a scare when safety Kerby Joseph popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury on Thursday.

Listed as a limited participant, there was concern about the potential status of one of the top performing players on Detroit's defense. However, coach Dan Campbell provided a positive update on Joseph ahead of the team's final practice before playing Dallas on Sunday.

"He's gonna practice today. I think we'll be okay, we'll see," Campbell said. "We'll know a lot more after today's practice."

As far as the Dallas matchup goes, it will be an interesting return for Dan Skipper. The Lions lost the last meeting between the two teams after apparent confusion between the officials led to Skipper being reported as eligible instead of Taylor Decker.

Since then, Skipper has drawn thunderous applause when he is announced as eligible when checking into the game. For a player who has spent his fair share of time on the practice squad and bouncing back and forth from the active roster, the fan appreciation has been memorable.

"Skip is the ultimate team guy, competitor, gridner," Campbell said. "Doesn't have bad days and never feels sorry for himself, worries about this or that. Doesn't make excuses. He's the bubble guy every time, he's on the bubble, it's the practice squad, it's the roster. I play, I help on show team if I need to. He does whatever we ask him to do. He goes in, he plays tackle, he plays guard. And then he's our jumbo tight end."

Campbell explained that Skipper is one of several players who has earned the trust of the coaching staff through hard work and willingness to do whatever the team needs. An example came when Skipper was forced into starting at the guard position last season despite not previously playing that specific role.

"It's hard to put into words the value a guy like him brings, and when you have guys like him and Craig Reynolds, Tom Kennedy that grind it out and don't feel sorry for themselves about anything," Campbell said. "They earn everything they get, every day in practice. And they get an opportunity in the game and make the most of it. That's why they're here, we trust them. They've built that, they've earned that. I know it probably feels good, he's a grunt."

Notes

The New York Jets became the first team in 2024 to make a coaching change, firing head coach Robert Saleh after five weeks. The Jets had been underperforming in the eyes of many, and the decision came swiftly.

Campbell explained the difficulty of maintaining success in his position, as well as expressing gratitude for being in the position that he is in with the Lions.

"I think there's always a part of you that, you do. It makes you feel fortunate to be where you're at," Campbell explained. "I know I do, I'm fortunate to be where I'm at, the people that I'm with and we've had success. At the end of the day, you've got to win. It's about wins. No matter how you cut it, what it is or isn't, man, the W's matter. So that's the bottom line. It's a hard business that way, but we all understand that. Everybody does. So I'm always gonna wish him the best, I think he's an oustanding coach."