Da'Shawn Hand Injury 'More Than We Thought It Would Be'

Only 24 hours prior to his latest injury, Detroit Lions defensive end Da'Shawn Hand was sharing with reporters how he had bulked up this past offseason and that he really wanted to prove he could stay healthy and play at the NFL level. 

During the offseason, the 25-year-old defensive lineman worked to gain 20 to 25 pounds from last season. 

He noted that he played at around 270 pounds last season and he was currently playing at around 293 pounds. 

"I've been blessed to have an opportunity to come back," Hand said. "They believe in me. I've been doing things the right way, and they paid off. That's why I'm still here. I just want my talent to show. I want to stay healthy, and I want to show you all I can really do this. I can be a bona fide player in this league."

A day later, Hand suffered another setback, as he suffered a groin injury at practice and has not returned since the injury occurred a couple of weeks ago.

“He had gotten his groin a couple of weeks ago. Obviously, it ended up being a little more than we thought it would be," head coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday. "He’s going to be out here for a little bit. There again, we’re kind of hoping this thing -- maybe we get him back before the season starts, but we will see where it goes.”