The Lions will in all likelihood be without their top cornerback when they take on the Bills on Thanksgiving. Jeff Okudah is dealing with a concussion, and will have little (if any) chance of being cleared in time for Thursday’s game.

Okudah exited Detroit’s win over the Giants on Sunday after a collision with teammate Will Harris and did not return. Given the short turnaround – not to mention the parameters of the league’s new concussion protocols – it would be nearly impossible for the Ohio State product to suit up in two days’ time.

Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed as much when speaking to the media about Okudah’s availability. “He’ll be out I’m pretty sure,” he said, via the team’s website. “We just talked about it; I don’t think there is any way possible he can play.”

Injuries are nothing new for the 23-year-old. He missed seven games during his rookie campaign, and essentially all of last season due to an Achilles tear. That led to serious questions about his ability to recover in full and live up to his draft stock as a former No. 3 pick. He impressed the team during the summer, though, and was assured of a starting spot on the boundary during the lead-in to the season.

Okudah had played nearly every snap this season before suffering the injury on Sunday, something which was a welcomed sight for the Lions given his importance to the team’s league-worst defense. He has racked up 53 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception (returned for a touchdown). Detroit will be hard-pressed to replace that production in his absence.

The team will turn to Jerry Jacobs, Mike Hughes and Amani Oruwariye at corner. The latter had a breakout campaign last season, but has taken a major step back in 2022, to the point of being benched for one game and finding himself on the trade market earlier this year. What would already have been a difficult task in slowing the Bills’ high-octane offense will thus be made even more challenging as the Lions look for a fourth straight win on Thursday.

A number of new faces have raised expectations for the Lions in 2022, but the return of a familiar one could give the team a significant boost in the secondary. Cornerback Jeff Okudah is in line to start the season at full health, which will allow him to occupy the position the team envisioned for him in during the 2020 draft. 

The No. 3 selection in that year’s draft, Okudah’s NFL career has been marred by injuries. He missed seven games as a rookie, then suffered a torn Achilles during Detroit’s season opener last year. That substantial amount of time spent on the sidelines has derailed his development, and led to questions about where he would line up upon his return to health.

In June, it was reported that the team was not considering a position change in the wake of potential mobility concerns. Slated to remain a boundary corner, then, the Ohio State product entered training camp and the preseason with a perceived need to reclaim his starting spot. His summer performances have allowed him to do just that.

Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed, via team reporter Tim Twentyman, that Okudah will remain a first-teamer when the regular season begins. “I thought he did some good things,” Campbell said after the team’s preseason finale. “I feel like he’s been trending in the right direction now for two weeks.”

Okudah would provide the Lions with an effective 1-2 tandem at the position should he return to form. Amani Oruwariye enjoyed a breakout season in Okudah’s absence last year, posting six interceptions and 11 pass deflections. That performance could land him an extension, though Okudah could be on his rookie deal for three more years if Detroit picks up his fifth-year option.

Much of that decision, of course, will depend on his ability to recover from a major injury and live up to his draft stock. With a starting spot in hand, he will have every opportunity to do so.

The Lions’ defense has made a significant addition this offseason with the selection of Aidan Hutchinson in the draft. The return to full strength of another recent highly-touted pick could provide another boost to the unit. 

Cornerback Jeff Okudah is currently with the Lions during the team’s OTAs as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles. While progress is being made on that front, the team is eyeing training camp as the point at which he is able to resume a full workload, per Justin Rogers of the Detroit News.

The 23-year-old suffered the injury in Week 1, ending his second NFL season essentially before it started. He was also limited to nine games as a rookie, so he has had a limited opportunity to showcase the skillset which made him the No. 3 pick in 2020. Head coach Dan Campbell expressed optimism that Okudah will be able to recover in full by July.

“We’re not worried about Jeff’s movement skills” he said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “You watch him, with his footwork and the things that he’s doing, he can do all that… When the time’s right, to go full-speed when we get him in camp, he’ll be ready.”

With concerns lingering about the Ohio State product’s mobility after the injury, where Okudah lines up upon his return remains an important question. On that point, Rogers reports that neither a position change to nickel corner or safety “is being immediately considered” right now. That would leave Okudah on the outside, pairing him with 2021 standout performer Amani Oruwariye as the team’s top corners.

Okudah is currently limited to participating in walkthroughs with the team. While he has yet to set a firm date by which he is hoping to be back to full strength, he echoed Campbell’s optimism with respect to availability in the near future.

“Best way to describe it, I’m going to be ready when it’s time to be ready” he said. “I’m confident in that.”

The Lions fear that cornerback Jeff Okudah has suffered an Achilles injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). That’s the word from head coach Dan Campbell who added that Okudah will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity of the tear.

Groin and shoulder injuries limited Okudah’s rookie season to just nine games. This time around, it’s a new malady, suffered midway through the season opener against the 49ers. Even before the injury, it wasn’t a banner day for Okudah, who surrendered a 79-yard score to Deebo Samuel.

“I don’t want to make excuses [for Okudah],” Campbell said. “But at the same time he’s in Year Two. He made some young errors — that’s what he did.”

Okudah — the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 — was the highest cornerback selected since Shawn Springs 20+ years ago. The Lions are still waiting to see him at his best. As a rookie, he allowed a 77% completion rate on passes thrown his way for a 118 QB rating figure on such throws.

No matter the outcome of the MRI, the Lions will be without Okudah’s services for a while. They’ll try and get to the .500 mark on Monday 9/20 when they face the rival Packers.

Jeff Okudah‘s rookie season is over. The No. 3 overall pick will undergo groin surgery, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports, ending his initial Lions season after nine games.

This injury has bothered Okudah since his Ohio State tenure, interestingly, and has worsened this season, Birkett adds. Undergoing this procedure now would put Okudah in line to return healthy in time for Detroit’s offseason program.

Okudah has dealt with multiple injuries this season. He missed time due to a shoulder issue recently but has recovered from that malady. Overall, Okudah — the highest cornerback selected since Shawn Springs 23 years ago — did not play especially well this season. He allowed a 77% completion rate on passes thrown his way, leading a 118 QB rating figure on such throws.

The Lions were not able to use their post-Darius Slay cornerback trio — Okudah, Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman — together much this year. Trufant has only played six games; Coleman has suited up for just seven.