Jim Caldwell Doesn't Regret How The Lions Have Handled Levy
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
DeAndre Levy has spent the entire season on the Lions' active roster. But he hasn't played a game since Week 1, and it's increasingly unlikely that he'll suit up this Sunday in New Orleans.
Each week that Levy occupies a spot on the 53-man roster, the Lions are costing themselves the opportunity to sign a healthy player. If Jim Caldwell were given a do-over, would he choose to place Levy on injured reserve?
Probably not.
"I don't regret anything," Caldwell said. "We do what's best for our team and the player."
Asked how keeping Levy on the roster benefits the team, Caldwell gave a vague reply.
"We look at our situation, where we are at that time going into the week. We make the best decisions based upon what we have available to us, which we've done this far and continue to do," he said.
And it's likely that Levy will continue to occupy a roster spot, barring the unexpected. Caldwell said "the reasons are obvious" as to why the Lions have stayed the course with their star linebacker for the past 11 weeks.
"I think obviously he's a talented player, he just hasn't been healthy," the coach said.
Levy played just one game in 2015 due to a hip injury, then suffered a quad injury during the Lions' season-opener this year. That was compounded by a knee injury he sustained sometime during his recovery, a knee injury that continues to keep him out of game action.
Despite returning to practice two weeks ago, Levy's inability to play in games and the Lions' evasiveness regarding his health have raised a grim question: Will Levy ever play again?
As for whether he'll play again this season, Caldwell said on Thursday, "We'll see."
"All we're concerned with is winning," he added later. "That's all we're concerned with and we're hanging in there pretty decently."
