The Detroit Lions will officially begin the 2026 season without one of the best players in their secondary.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Detroit plans to move safety Kerby Joseph to the Reserve/PUP list, which means Joseph will be required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
The decision is disappointing, but it is hardly shocking. Joseph has been dealing with a knee injury throughout the offseason and began training camp on the PUP list. Dan Campbell and the Lions have been cautious with Joseph from the beginning, and Detroit confirmed when camp opened that players remaining on PUP through final roster cuts would have to miss at least four regular-season games.
We recently examined the increasingly important decision involving Joseph and Brian Branch as Detroit approached its roster deadline.
Now the decision has apparently been made with Joseph.
Kerby Joseph Will Miss a Tough Opening Stretch
Joseph will miss games against the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Detroit then travels to Arizona in Week 5 before its Week 6 bye. The Lions host the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 25 following the bye. Detroit’s official schedule confirms that opening stretch.
That makes Week 5 against the Cardinals the earliest Joseph could potentially return, assuming his knee is ready.
The Reserve/PUP designation does give Detroit some roster flexibility, which was factored into our final Lions 53-man roster projection. Under the 2026 rules, Joseph can begin practicing earlier than in past seasons, but he still cannot play during those first four games.
Detroit got its final opportunity to evaluate the rest of the secondary during Saturday’s preseason finale against Indianapolis.
For the Lions, the priority is obvious. They would rather have Joseph healthy for the bulk of the season than rush him back for September.
Still, beginning the year without an All-Pro-caliber safety is certainly not how Detroit wanted this to play out.
