It’s looking more like the Lions won’t have top receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown when they face the Panthers this week.
Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters at his Friday press conference that St. Brown won’t practice again on Friday with his abdominal injury.
“We’re going to continue to work with him on the side,” Campbell said. “And I think tomorrow is going to tell us a lot. I don’t want to push it today. So, I think we’ll know a lot more after tomorrow morning.”
Campbell noted that the injury occurred during last week’s victory over Green Bay and he was able to finish the contest.
“Like a lot of these injuries, you can get through [the game] and then the irritation begins,” Campbell said. “No different than kind of what had happened to [Taylor] Decker [when he injured his ankle]. He was able to get through that Kansas City game and then it’s the residual effect. So, that’s what happens with a lot of these guys.”
St. Brown leads the Lions with 26 catches and 331 yards with two touchdowns, so not having him available would be significant against the Panthers on Sunday.
Campbell also said that he doesn’t feel good about defensive back Brian Branch’s availability for Week 5, though the club is hopeful he can return in Week 6 against Tampa Bay. And Campbell is hopeful offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai will be able to return to play on Sunday.
Detroit’s full injury report with game statuses will be released later on Friday.
