The Kevin Jones saga continues…
Running back Kevin Jones will be on the active roster when the Lions announce their final cuts today, a person familiar with the situation said Friday night.
Lions officials conferred with Jones’ surgeon Friday, and the surgeon cleared Jones to come off the PUP list, the person said. The Lions plan to take it slow with Jones, but they think they will need him within six weeks, the person said.
Jones visited his surgeon, Dr. Bob Anderson, on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. Anderson recommended Jones remain on the PUP list, according to another person familiar with the situation. Anderson felt the foot had healed well enough, but he was concerned Jones could suffer other injuries because he wasn’t in game shape, that person said.
Keep in mind, there has been no official word from the team about this. A report a few days ago said that he would start the season on PUP, and this report contradicts that. It appears that the Lions are worried about KJ’s conditioning, not his foot. If Jones does indeed start the season on the active roster, it will likely take him a few weeks to get into game shape. Tatum Bell will start in his place and if he gets off to a good start, it will allow the Lions to bring Jones back slowly.
KJ’s stock certainly gets a bump with this news, but the Detroit running game is murky, to say the least. Bell has been going in the 5th round of most 12-team drafts, so expect his ADP to drop a round into the 6th. Conversely, Jones’ ADP had been in the 9th or later, and it should rise into the 7th or 8th.
