KERBY JOSEPH

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions will hang onto offensive coordinator Ben Johnson this offseason. Now they’re one step closer to hanging onto their defensive coordinator, too. Aaron Glenn has been eliminated from consideration for the head-coaching vacancy in Arizona, according to ESPN. Steelers assistant coach Brian Flores, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo are the known finalists, according to the report. He’s one of three finalists for defensive rookie of the year.

MOBILE, Ala. -- One year after producing Kerby Joseph, Illinois has another pair of defensive backs garnering praise for their impressive ball-hawking ability and aggressive nature flashing during the draft process. And now, Joseph is aiding and inspiring former college teammates Jartavius Martin and Sydney Brown on their path to the NFL. The pair of Illinois defensive backs echoed each other, laughing, then saying this is what they expected from Joseph at the next level, without question. But Kerby’s a great player and I look up to him.”Related: Senior Bowl Day 2 observations: Potential Lions fit at cornerback shinesRelated: Lions pushed for assistant Shaun Dion Hamilton to get Senior Bowl opportunityAnd while Martin was thrilled to talk about Joseph’s ascent. Martin said his goal at the Senior Bowl is to prove he can play anywhere on the back end.

ALLEN PARK -- Kerby Joseph began his rookie season expecting to play exclusively on special teams. Joseph managed to do it by the end of his rookie season. Houston didn’t make his NFL debut until Thanksgiving, yet managed to finish second among all rookies in sacks (8.0) -- trailing only Hutchinson. It was that kind of season for the Lions’ draft class, which went on to set the NFL record for most sacks ever. It was the best defensive season by a Lions rookie since Ndamukong Suh, who was named rookie of the year in 2010.

Getting eliminated from playoff contention about an hour before their season finale didn’t alter the Detroit Lions’ approach.

Not these Detroit Lions. Not these Detroit Lions that have been the punchline of the NFL for forever. And with the whole country tuning in to see Aaron Rodgers do the thing he always does against Detroit, well, Detroit knew what it was playing for. “You know, a little bye to Green Bay at the end,” St. Brown said with a smirk. After spending so many years as the punchline of the NFL, the Detroit Lions just might be the future of the NFC North.

“Y’all thought I would miss this?” the starting safety said in an Instagram story. His return would provide a huge lift to a safety corps that has been without fellow starting safety Tracy Walker since Week 3. The Walker injury forced Detroit to turn to rookie Kerby Joseph, who has played beyond his years this season. The Elliott injury forced Detroit to turn to Ifeatu Melifonwu, the final safety on the roster besides C.J. Ragnow has received time off every week of the season to nurse a toe injury that could require surgery whenever the season ends.

ALLEN PARK -- With the injuries starting to pile up at safety, the Detroit Lions (7-8) have elevated Brady Breeze from the practice squad for Sunday’s must-win game against the Chicago Bears (3-12). That has forced Detroit to turn back to Ifeatu Melifonwu for a second straight start, despite his profound struggles last week in Carolina. With that, the Lions are elevating Breeze to help bolster their depth. The second-year defensive back made his club debut by playing 19 snaps on special teams in Carolina last week. Detroit also announced offensive tackle Obinna Eze is being placed on the practice squad injured reserve list.

ALLEN PARK -- Kerby Joseph has returned to a Detroit Lions defense that badly needs him on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. With fellow safeties Tracy Walker (Achilles) and DeShon Elliott (shoulder) also out with injuries, Detroit is razor-thin at the position heading into a game against Justin Fields and that top-ranked rushing attack. Joseph returned to work on Thursday, offering some hope the rookie will be able to play against Chicago. Receiver Josh Reynolds (illness), special teams star Josh Woods (illness) and guard Logan Stenberg (illness) also returned to work, while Elliott, center Frank Ragnow (foot) and Kayode Awosika (ankle) were unavailable. Elliott is considered day-to-day with his shoulder injury.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions were without a handful of players at their first practice of the week, including starters Josh Reynolds, Frank Ragnow, DeShon Elliott and Kerby Joseph. The Pro Bowl center has managed a foot injury all season and missed the first two practices last week before playing through the injury and questionable designation. Joseph and Reynolds weren’t on last week’s injury report. The Lions were also without offensive guard Logan Stenberg, and linebacker and special teams ace Josh Woods at Wednesday’s practice. Related: Detroit Lions shutting down Quintez Cephus for season, DeShon Elliott day-to-dayRelated: Lions Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow having most fun of career amid challenging season

The Detroit Lions (7-7) are on the road to face the Carolina Panthers (5-9) in Week 16 action on Christmas Eve. We’ll try and answer three burning questions ahead of kickoff below:Can the Lions establish the run against DT Derrick Brown and the Panthers? The Carolina Panthers could be better against the run, ranking 18th in the league while allowing 4.4 yards per attempt. The Steelers found success on the ground against these Panthers last week, beating them 24-16. Just like we have done in the run game, we’re going to do it in the passing game also.”Who will replace starting Lions safety DeShon Elliott?

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions (7-7) have won six of their last seven games, clawing into the playoff picture with three weeks left in the regular season. The Dungeon of Doom podcast is back, with hosts Kyle Meinke and Ben Raven going through some of their picks for the team’s most under-the-radar and unheralded players. Subscribe to the Dungeon of Doom wherever you get your podcasts -- Spotify, Apple, Google -- Follow Benjamin Raven and Kyle Meinke on Twitter. We’ve got a Detroit Lions newsletter! We’ll email you your Detroit Lions news five days a week.

The special teams ace added two tackles across 29 defensive snaps. Since returning to the team back in Week 8, Moore has logged 98 defensive reps and 156 on special teams. Melifonwu, a 2021 third-round pick, has played only six defensive snaps while dealing with another injury-riddle campaign. He’s logged special teams snaps in five straight games, with an increasing role over the previous two weeks. To put that into perspective, Joseph already has 702 defensive snaps through his first 14 games in the league.

ALLEN PARK -- James Houston was the only member of the Detroit Lions’ rookie class not to make the opening-day roster. 2 overall pick, perhaps the best year by any rookie Lions defender since Ndamukong Suh. Joseph was named NFC defensive player of the week for his efforts, becoming the first Lions rookie ever to win that award. Again, it’s just been that kind of year for the Lions’ rookie draft class. But Houston plays so low to the ground that he started giving Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell all kinds of fits in practice.

The Detroit Lions went to MetLife Stadium and stunned the New York Giants 31-18 for their third win in a row, thanks to their young defense and wily veteran Jamaal Williams, who had a historic day.

The Lions (4-6) almost certainly won’t catch Minnesota (8-2), which has total command of the division. But Detroit is just 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the NFC, pending how San Francisco (5-4) fares tonight against Arizona (4-6) on Monday Night Football. Hutchinson joined Ndamukong Suh as the only rookie linemen to pick off a pass for the Lions since 1951. The Giants, who had lost just one game since Week 2 and had one of the best records in the league, never seriously threatened Detroit again. Detroit will be without its top cornerback too, after Jeff Okudah suffered a suspected brain injury in New York.

Jeff Okudah suffered a suspected brain injury in the 31-18 win on Sunday against the New York Giants, and has already been ruled out for the Thanksgiving game against Josh Allen the Buffalo Bills. And with the short week until Thanksgiving, he simply does not have enough time to clear protocol no matter how quickly he progresses. Okudah has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, going all the way back to the first game of his career because of a hamstring injury. So I’m enjoying every single moment because you never know when the moment will be over.”A week later, Okudah is seeing the other side of it again. He missed most of the Giants game, and now has been ruled out for the showdown against Buffalo on Thanksgiving.

While the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns played at their home field in Detroit, the Lions dominated the New York Giants, securing their third straight win, and their second straight on the road.

CHICAGO -- The Detroit Lions roared back to upend Chicago 31-30 on Sunday at Soldier Field. On a day where Detroit needed him to be everything, he was. All the injuries forced the Lions to re-sign Trinity Benson off Denver’s practice squad, who also left the game with an injury. After so many challenges and injuries, this was Okwara’s best game in Detroit, and perhaps a sign that progress has finally been achieved. He missed a tackle on Fields’ 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, plus gave up another touchdown to Cole Kmet in pass coverage.

ALLEN PARK -- For the first time in a long time, the injury report is mostly good news for the Detroit Lions. Yes, Josh Reynolds has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, and that’s a blow for an offense that remains without fellow outside receivers DJ Chark (ankle), Jameson Williams (ACL) and Quintez Cephus (foot). The Lions could be forced to turn to slot receivers like Tom Kennedy and Kalif Raymond for another start on the outside, or perhaps the recently re-signed Trinity Benson. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (elbow), safety Kerby Joseph (brain), safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle), cornerback Chase Lucas (ankle) and offensive tackle Matt Nelson (calf) are all listed as questionable to play in Chicago, while oft-injured running back D’Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) isn’t listed with an injury designation at all. Head coach Dan Campbell said he’s optimistic Joseph will be able to play despite a suspected brain injury that limited him most of the practice week.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions should have red-hot rookie safety Kerby Joseph for their game on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. But Joseph has been able to practice on a limited basis all week -- in a red no-contact jersey -- and was cleared to practice fully on Friday. As long as everything checks out afterward, he should be cleared to play against the Bears. He also raked in 10 tackles, and was named NFC defensive player of the week for his efforts, becoming the first Lions rookie ever to win that award. For the season, he’s now the No.

ALLEN PARK -- Malcolm Rodriguez is day-to-day because of an arm injury he sustained in the Detroit Lions’ win on Sunday against Green Bay. A sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, the rookie linebacker has turned out to be one of the year’s brightest developments. But Rodriguez was limited to 19 defensive snaps on Sunday after suffering an injury to his right elbow area. He tried to wrap up the arm and play through the pain, although aggravated the injury trying to do that. The only players not practicing on Wednesday were receiver Josh Reynolds (back), running back Jamaal Williams (unknown) and cornerback Chase Lucas (ankle).

ALLEN PARK -- Rookie safety Kerby Joseph wasn’t supposed to play defense this season, and he didn’t in the first three weeks of the season. Just five games later, Joseph has been named the NFC’s defensive player of the week for his big-time efforts in a 15-9 win on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Joseph is the Lions’ first rookie ever to win the award. Joseph picked off Aaron Rodgers twice in the game, becoming the first Lions rookie to do that since safety Devon Mitchell in 1986. It was a magnificent game for a rookie who has made stunning strides since entering the lineup for the injured Walker in Week 4.

The Detroit Lions and their last-ranked defense in terms of points and yards allowed in the NFL picked off future hall-of-fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers three times to defeat the Green Bay Packers 15-9 at Ford Field.

That’s what happens when you lose in this league, the Lions were losing faster than anyone else, and they were doing it with some of the most God-awful pass defense you’ll ever see. Rookie safety Kerby Joseph picked off Rodgers twice, including in the end zone on the defense’s first drive. Rodgers underthrew the pass badly, and Hutchinson was in position for his first career interception at any level. “And I was like, ‘Freebie or not, I’ll take that interception.’”The Lions still weren’t done taking stuff from Rodgers either. Now he has five tackles for loss, a team high, and ranks among the best rookie linebackers in the league.

The Detroit Lions’ rookie safety has been a smash hit since entering the lineup in Week 4, including forcing fumbles in each of his last two games. But the Lions opened up the competition for that job the following week, and Joseph won the gig over JuJu Hughes. I’ve just got to keep making plays.”Joseph was making plays all right, although he also let a couple of would-be interceptions slip through his hands. On Sunday, with longtime Lions killer Aaron Rodgers in town, Joseph broke through on the very first defensive drive of the game. “Him believing him himself, and him playing free,” said Elliott, the veteran safety who is playing alongside Joseph.

Kerby Joseph, Aidan Hutchinson and James Mitchell offered helpful reminders of what could be, powering the Lions to a 15-9 win on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. But this being Aaron Rodgers and all, Green Bay kept coming until the final seconds. -- Facing a fourth-and-1 deep in Green Bay territory on the game’s first drive, Dan Campbell elected to go for it -- surprise, surprise -- rather than take the sure points. -- When the Lions didn’t score in the second half of last week’s loss against Miami, they bemoaned the penalties. The problem is they didn’t even bother to clean those up against Green Bay.

They’re starting four rookies on that side of the ball, and two of them picked off Aaron Rodgers on Sunday to help the offensively-challenged Lions take an 8-0 lead into halftime. The last time two rookies picked off passes in the same game, you ask? They didn’t score a point in the second half of last week’s loss against Miami, much like they didn’t score in the second half of the two games before that, and bemoaned the penalties that ruined two of their three possessions. Left tackle Taylor Decker was flagged for holding on the second drive against Green Bay, which dug Detroit into a second-and-17 hole. And when they do, Detroit is going to need more than eight points on the board to win this game.

Detroit Lions rookie defensive lineman Josh Paschal made his long-awaited debut against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7. Hutchinson had a strong game with Paschal and Cominsky back, rocking 1.5 sacks while beating Dallas’ tackles more than a couple of times. Hutchinson created four quarterback pressures, getting into a disruptive groove with his fellow rookie defensive lineman. I look out there at one point and there’s Hutch, there’s Paschal, there’s Rodriguez, there’s Kerby, there’s A.J. The analytics site had Buggs ranked among the team’s three-worst defenders, with Paschal and Cominsky near the middle of the pack.

DETROIT -- Detroit Lions rookie linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez is shining through as one of the only things to feel good about on the defensive side of the ball. Rodriguez should rank among the tops of all linebackers against the run when all grades are in for the week. Lockett doesn’t let too many like that slip away, so that’s a heads-up play by the rookie to punch the ball out. Rodriguez also made an impressive read on a screen pass to Seahawks rookie running back Kenneth Walker. PFF had Rodriguez allowing two catches on two targets in coverage for only 5 yards.

Safety JuJu Hughes needs to play better than he did in Minnesota. “You know, a little stuff in-house,” JuJu Hughes said when I asked him about it after the game. Based on the tape, that someone is almost certainly JuJu Hughes. The Walker injury really magnifies the lack of production from Brad Holmes’ Day 2 picks. You’d think that would fortify the depth behind Walker, himself a third-round safety -- yet Melifonwu and Joseph have combined to play zero defensive snaps this season.

DETROIT -- With the ink barely dry on a big three-year contract extension, Lions safety Tracy Walker has been ejected from the season opener for committing two personal fouls on the same play. Walker lowered his helmet in a collision with quarterback Jalen Hurts, which drew one flag for unnecessary roughness, then threw a punch at an Eagles player after getting to his feet, which drew another flag for unnecessary roughness. JuJu Hughes, who made the roster because of his contributions on special teams, replaced Walker in the lineup. This certainly isn’t the way the Lions envisioned Walker opening a new three-year, $25 million contract. Walker finishes the day with 11 tackles, one sack and one pass defended.

We’ll run through 10 players who could make sense for the Lions in no particular order. It’s worth noting the Lions started their Wednesday morning by waiving quarterback David Blough and signing former 49ers quarterback Nate Sudfeld. But he’s struggled to stay healthy through his four seasons in the league (37 missed games in four seasons with the Ravens). Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley deserves praise as one of the best in the league at what he does. EDGE Quincy RocheThe Lions cut James Houston, so maybe they’re in the market for another raw defender.

ALLEN PARK – The Detroit Lions have taken a good, long look at rookie safety Kerby Joseph in the preseason, and they are pleased with his progress. Asked about his primary focus in training camp, Joseph immediately responded “My tackling.”“I knew that was one thing I needed to work on coming out of college,” he said. “I feel like one thing that improved was finding my points,” Joseph said. So, working on that with the tackling drills, in the morning pre-practice or even by myself, I feel like that’s one thing that really helped me. And just listening to the coaching points.”Joseph and veteran safety Juju Hughes lead the defense with 95 snaps through two games.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have parted ways with two players ahead of the league’s first roster cut deadline, with wide receiver Josh Johnson and safety Brady Breeze waived. Breeze was injured after the opening kickoff in the team’s first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Related: Detroit Lions cut 3 players, 2 more loom this weekRelated: Snap counts: Detroit Lions get extended look at rookie safety Kerby JosephJoseph and Hughes saw the most work in the preseason loss to the Falcons after Breeze went down, with Melifonwu or Moore not suiting up. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, injured rookie Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond headline the team’s receivers. Those eight grabs put him second among players in the preseason, with the 104 yards leading the way.

DETROIT -- Tracy Walker and DeShon Elliott have been at the top of the safety room for the Detroit Lions from the start of training camp. And that’s no surprise, with third-round rookie Kerby Joseph still relatively new to safety and other defensive backs swapping positions. Joseph put some good tape into existence through a couple of rookie blips on the radar with the opportunity. Walker added two tackles on his 13 reps. Hughes had two tackles while playing next to Joseph for most of the game. He ran three times for 13 yards while adding two catches for 5 yards.

On a day where they played the closest thing to real football since January, Sewell looked like the best player on that field, period. One-on-one drills always favor the defensive line, but that first-team offensive line went undefeated in their nine reps on Monday. I think he’s a really good player, he’s super high effort all the time and I think as Aidan learns, you can see him grow, too. But then they strapped on pads for their next practice, and Sewell dominated. Then he opened it up with a bomb to Josh Reynolds, who had a step on Jeff Okudah.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions continue chipping away at securing their draft class ahead of the start of this year’s rookie minicamp at the end of the week. NFL Network reports the Lions and safety Kerby Joseph agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal worth $5.044 million. Joseph gets a signing bonus of $849,020 and will receive all of his maximum compensation for being a comp pick. The Lions grabbed Joseph in Round 3 at Pick 97. Last year’s draft class wasn’t fully under contract until cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu signed his rookie deal days before reporting to training camp in late July.

And while Aidan Hutchinson might not be a Bosa brother, he’s already a really good player who could become that kind of game-breaker. Detroit effectively gave up a second-round pick to make that deal, and gave it to a division rival at that. That’s good. But every good team needs playmakers, and the Lions have fewer playmakers than just about any team in the league. There’s no reason this offense shouldn’t be good next season, and for Goff to be good in it.

The Detroit Lions continued to make big investments on defense in the NFL draft and are hoping that they result in immediate rewards to a franchise that has struggled in recent seasons.

The Detroit Lions went defense with both of their picks Friday night in Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft, and their selections were met with mixed views by experts. Paschal and Joseph join Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson in upgrading the edge. Aidan Hutchinson is now the centerpiece of the unit and a potential culture-changer. As a second-round pick, Paschal won’t receive the same fanfare, but he brings similar qualities to the organization.

97 overall late in the third round of the draft by the Lions, marking their third defensive player in as many picks. Here are five things to know about Joseph:Takeaway machineAs a senior for the Illini, Joseph recorded eight takeaways, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. His interception total was tied for first in the country in the regular season, while his fumble recoveries were tied for third. His biggest special teams play, though, came in the 2021 opener, when he recorded a safety on a Nebraska punt return in the first quarter. Roots in HaitiJoseph’s parents, Rosemary Guerilas and Dacius Joseph, are both originally from Haiti and met after immigrating to Florida.

The Detroit Lions added another piece to their defense in the 2022 NFL draft. Detroit selected Illinois safety Kerby Joseph at Pick 97 in Round 3 near the end of Day 2. He fills an obvious need around these parts, adding a potential ball-hawking safety next to Tracy Walker. The Lions re-signed Walker to a three-year deal earlier this offseason. He projects as quite the consolation prize for those wishing the Lions would have taken a safety on Day 1.

The Detroit Lions are connected to two more defensive players for their 30 pre-draft visits. Detroit reportedly has visits with Illinois safety Kerby Joseph and Oklahoma safety Delarrin Turner-Yell this week. It’s worth noting the Lions announced their signing of safety DeShon Elliott earlier Thursday. The former Ravens safety missed his entire rookie season, then was limited to only six games in Year 2. Safety has remained a popular mock pick for the Lions heading into the draft, which shouldn’t be expected to change.