Watch CBS News

DeAndre Levy Working His Way Back To Full Health

By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby

DeAndre Levy returned to the practice field Thursday and Friday on a limited basis after dealing with a weeks-long hip injury. Head coach Jim Caldwell hasn't confirmed whether Levy will actually return to game action this week, but it's possible the linebacker could make his regular season debut in Seattle on Monday Night Football.

The Lions – which are tied for 25th in the league in total defense – have missed Levy's presence badly. The Detroit defense finished second in the NFL last season, but has fallen considerably since then, losing several key cogs (including defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh) in the offseason.

Whether Levy can return on Monday to help that defense will be a day-to-day evaluation process.

"The first thing I think you do is you talk to the player and see how he feels," said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. "Then you watch him and see if the way he tells you he feels and how he moves correlate. … When I watched him practice and move, I liked the way he moved and so that's what we look for. We look to see if he's moving well, if he's able to do the things that you know he can do. With the limited amount of film or practice I've seen on him from yesterday, he did okay."

During practice, the Lions don't necessarily tackle each other, and focus more on the specifics of their assignments and schemes. So, Austin said, it's difficult to assess how game-ready Levy is, based solely off that practice time.

In Levy's absence has been linebacker Josh Bynes, who's totaled 20 tackles through the first three games of the season.

"I think he (Bynes) has been very good for us in terms of the duties that he handles and what he does," Caldwell said. "He obviously plays with a lot of effort and he's been one of those guys that will knock the ball loose and give you some opportunities, and he keeps getting  better. When you're doing those kinds of things, you'll find yourself on the field a little bit more often."

How much Bynes will play once Levy returns full-time, though, remains to be seen. What the team is most worried about this week is just getting Levy back to full health as quickly as possible.

"Obviously any time you get one of your better players back it's good for the defense," Austin said. "So we'll just have to see how it would impact us. I would hope that he comes back and he's the same player he was when he left."

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.