Lions Top 10 Injury News of 2025: #1 Kerby Joseph Knee
The knee problem of this superstar safety kept Lions fans guessing all season
What started as a seemingly innocuous knee issue in training camp burgeoned over the course of the season into the clear #1 Lions injury news story of the 2025 season.
The injury to Kerby Joseph was a massive story because of his All-Pro skills, Hall-of-Fame trajectory, mysteriousness of diagnosis, and the uncertainty moving forward.
For the complete analysis of Joseph’s knee including suspected diagnosis, treatment options, and long-term outlook, visit these stories:
Recap of Kerby Joseph’s left knee timeline
July 2025: Left knee limits him during training camp.
September 14, 2025 (Week 2): Knee shows up on injury reports leading up to the Week 2 game.
September 28, 2025 (Week 4): Aggravates knee during game…
October 12, 2025 (Week 6): Aggravates knee again. This is his final appearance of the season…
December 1, 2025 (Week 14): Starts limited practice but unable to practice more than once per week.
December 20, 2025: Lions finally place Joseph on IR, officially ending his season.
2025 Season Summary
Joseph played the first six games of the season. He then missed eight games before being placed on IR. The prolonged absence while still on the active roster kept hope simmering for weeks that a return could happen at any time.
As the weeks turned into months, the specifics and severity of the knee issue became increasingly a concern. No diagnosis was ever revealed.
Despite playing only six games, Joseph still snagged three interceptions, which led the team. That’s an interception in 50% of games played. That remarkable coin-flip ratio was not a fluke for Joseph as he had nine interceptions in 18 games during the 2024 season.
Joseph’s ability to create turnovers is what makes him a truly special, gamechanger on the field. His singular presence likely alters the outcome of multiple games per season, which is why his knee injury status carries such importance.
Contract Status
April 23, 2025: The Lions signed Joseph to a four-year, $86M contract extension that tied him to the team through the 2029 season.
Since the knee issue occurred right after signing, the Lions were stuck in a bad position as far as dead cap ($29M) and guaranteed money. The salary cap consequences probably made it unfeasible to release him during the 2026 offseason, even if the health concerns might have warranted it (see #5 Taylor Decker for example). Absorbing the salary cap ramifications likely won’t be a deterrent in the 2027 offseason, if it comes to that.
2026 Season Outlook
Unfortunately, the #1 injury story of 2025 has a massive carryover into the 2026 season. The ability of Joseph’s knee to handle football is still unknown since he did not test it in OTA or minicamp.
Joseph will likely start testing his knee at some point in training camp. If the knee does not respond well, that could mean the immediate end of his season - and even his career. If the knee responds favorably, it is still something that will need to be monitored and load-managed going forward.
If the Lions want Kerby Joseph consistently available throughout the season, putting him on a firm snap count may be a necessity.
For the #2 injury story of 2025 which includes Kerby Joseph and most of his secondary running mates…
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