A torn meniscus in his knee didn’t stop the Lions from drafting cornerback Darius Slay in the second round, but it will stop Slay from taking part in this week’s rookie minicamp.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Slay had arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury last Friday and that he will miss the three-day session with his fellow newcomers to the Lions. The recovery time from the operation likely means he’ll miss the rest of the team’s offseason workout schedule, but Schefter reports the expectation is that he’ll be ready to go “well before” the start of training camp.
The Lions had thought that Slay would avoid surgery and attend minicamp, especially since the corner was able to participate in pre-draft workouts for teams after injuring his knee during his pro day. The knee injury meant Slay would have been working less than a full schedule during minicamp and OTAs anyway, so things probably aren’t too dramatically different now and having the surgery should make him less susceptible to a more serious injury related to the initial meniscus tear.
Assuming Slay is ready when camp starts, he should still have a chance to win a job in the starting lineup before the season gets underway. Bill Bentley will likely be his chief competition for the job across from Chris Houston.
