The Detroit Lions won’t have All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph on the field when they travel to Munich, Germany, for a game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed during his weekly radio hit on Costa & Jansen with Heather on 97.1 The Ticket that Joseph, who returned to practice on Oct. 28 for the first time all season, still isn’t ready to take the field in an actual game.
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“I don’t see him playing in Germany,” Campbell said.
Wednesday, Nov. 11, will mark two weeks since the Lions opened Joseph’s 21-day acclimation window as he hopes to return from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He missed all of training camp with a lingering knee injury that dates back to before the 2025 season. He hasn’t played since Week 6 of the 2025 season.
After returning from Munich, the Lions will have until Nov. 18 to decide whether to add Joseph to the 53-man roster or shut him down for the season. The earliest he will return to the field is on Nov. 22, in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field.
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Joseph, 25, was named a First-Team All-Pro in his last healthy season after netting a league-high nine interceptions in 2024. He was rewarded with a four-year, $86 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid safety in NFL history at the time.
Joseph took it slow in his first week at practice, participating only in group and individual drills before adding full-team work to his plate last week.
Lions safeties coach and assistant head coach Jim O’Neil said on Friday, Nov. 6, that Joseph looks even better than he expected.
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“Yesterday was his first team practice,” O’Neil said, “and he looked a lot better than what I anticipated him looking (like). So it was very encouraging.”
O’Neil was hesitant to discuss any further plans for Joseph, since the nature of the injury could, in theory, involve setbacks. But the team has been pleased with how he’s looked so far.
So even if he won’t be on the field when Detroit tries to slow down quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots’ passing attack, it still seems promising that he’ll be back in uniform sooner rather than later.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Kerby Joseph injury: Lions safety won’t return in Munich game
