Detroit Lions Could Lose DeAndre Levy For An Extended Period Of Time Due To Injury
By Danny Cox
Like any NFL team, the Detroit Lions know that keeping a healthy roster is the first step to being successful in the league. Unfortunately, the Lions are already dealing with a serious injury and the regular season hasn't even officially started yet for anyone. Linebacker DeAndre Levy has a hip injury that already has him ruled out for the opener, and it looks like he will miss a lot more time on top of it.
It's actually quite possible that Levy's hip injury could have him headed toward surgery, and that is not good news for anyone in the Lions' organization.
After practice on Wednesday, the Lions revealed that Levy is indeed dealing with a hip injury. The team would not elaborate on how serious the injury is, but it truly appears as if it is going to be serious enough to sideline him for a good length of time this season.
Reports state that Levy may actually have "internal damage" to his hip, and the surgery may not be just thought of, but necessary. So far, the Lions are not publicly saying much about the situation.
This is not good news as Levy has already been out of practice for two weeks and missed the final two preseason games for the Lions. Last year, he led the team with 151 tackles and it will be almost impossible to replace him with anyone. Back in 2013, Levy was also among the league leaders with six interceptions.
For Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, it appears as if Josh Bynes is going to step up and start in place of Levy. He will start at weakside linebacker and be in the lineup with Stephen Tulloch and Tahir Whitehead. Bynes is a good player, but it's going to be hard to replace Levy's talent and leadership with the defense.
Earlier this summer, DeAndre Levy signed a contract extension with the Lions that gave the team another four years with him and gave him another $33 million. It made him the highest paid 4-3 outside linebacker in the entire NFL, and he certainly earned that extension.
Making matters worse is that just this past Sunday, the Lions placed their only short-term injured reserve designation on rookie cornerback Alex Carter who is dealing with a bone bruise on his ankle. If Levy is going to miss any extended amount of time, the team will have to leave him on the 53-man roster or risk putting him on injured reserve and losing him for the season.
The Detroit Lions are hoping they can regroup on defense and others can step up to take the place of DeAndre Levy in his absence. As for Levy, he's only hoping to be back on the field sooner rather than later.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
