Category: NFL (Page 1117 of 1282)

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.

There has been speculation about this for the last few weeks and it appears that the Lions are moving closer to making a decision.

According to a source close to the situation, the surgeon who performed the Lisfranc surgery on the left foot of running back Kevin Jones has agreed with Lions trainers that Jones should start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Dr. Richard Anderson re-examined Jones this afternoon and then discussed the situation with Lions officials.

Because the Lions have a bye week in the sixth week of the season, Jones will only miss five games. Jones will be eligible to return on Oct. 21 in the home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The medical report on Jones is that his foot is almost completely recovered, but team officials want to err on the side of caution and make sure he’s in the best possible football condition before he returns to the field. Again, according to a source close to the situation, Jones is expected to return without losing any of his original speed or running ability.

If true, this news is an obvious bump to Tatum Bell’s stock. OC Mike Martz has praised Bell throughout the preseason and it appears that he will be the starter for the first five games (at least). I’m still leery of drafting Bell as anything more than a RB3 because this situation could easily devolve into a RBBC when Jones comes back. One strategy would be to draft a RB in the first round and then load up on WRs before taking Bell in the fifth as a RB2. It is imperative that you also grab KJ once you hit the ninth or tenth round. Martz has traditionally featured one back, but there’s no guarantee he goes that route. A Bell/KJ combo is especially valuable in PPR leagues since Martz loves to throw so much.