Is Lions Top Safety Ready to Return Against Vikings?

Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph did not participate in practice on Tuesday, when the team returned form their bye week.

The talented safety has been battling a knee injury for months, and a recent performance against the Chiefs forced the coaching staff to evaluate if he needed to sit and rest.

The former third-round pick did not suit up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and did extensive rehabilitation during the bye week.

He reportedly put in "coaches hours" working with trainers in an effort to return and contribute in the second half of the season.

Appearing on 97.1 The Ticket for his weekly interview, head coach Dan Campbell provided a health update on the team's top safety.

"Yeah look, he's improving, but he still got a little bit to go here. So, we'll know more in the next couple of days. But you know, he's better than he was before we left for the bye."

Detroit Lions safeties coach Jim O'Neil indicated he learned from former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan that backup players and how they perform are also important in the evaluation of a position coach.

“One of the first lessons I learned from Rex Ryan when I was a younger assistant coach was he told me, ‘You’re not going to be evaluated by your starters. You’re going to be evaluated by how your backups play.’ That’s always kind of stuck in my head," O'Neil said. "And I think our entire coaching staff does an unbelievable job coaching everybody on the roster.

"So when we get in those situations, and just in the year and a half that I’ve been here, especially on defense, we’ve been decimated at every level of the defense," O'Neil added. "Guys have stepped up and gone in and played at a high level.”

Detroit will have Brian Branch return from his suspension and the team has developed growing trust in Erick Hallett and Thomas Harper.

The secondary played at a high level in the absence of several starters, catching the attention of the entire coaching staff and the competitive roster.

Branch indicated he is motivated to return and make up for his past mistakes.

“Oh, a lot of motivation. I feel like it’s another chip on my shoulder that they just added. I also want to apologize for that, what I did," Branch said. "That’s something I don’t condone. It’ll never happen again, but it definitely add another chip to my shoulder.”