Lions HC Jim Caldwell told reporters on Monday that they are still unsure about DT Nick Fairley‘s timetable for a return after he sprained his right knee a few weeks ago.
“You know, I’m not certain exactly where it is at this point in time, to be honest with you. Nobody knows,” Caldwell said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.
“Anything could happen. It could be an unbelievable turnaround, or it can be lengthy. We’ll wait and see.”
Last we heard regarding Fairley, he was going to get a second opinion on his sprained MCL and PCL, but there hasn’t been any updates since then. The expectation is that Fairley could miss at least a month.
Fairley, 26, was off to a great start this season, which happens to be the final year of his rookie contract after the Lions elected to not pick up his fifth-year option several months ago.
C.J. Mosley, who just reinstated from his suspension, is expected to take Fairley’s place in the starting lineup.
So far this season, Fairley has recorded 14 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble over the course of eight games, but his play has been much better than these numbers would indicate.
Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 11 defensive tackle in the league out of 76 qualifying players. According to their ratings, Fairley has been equally effective as an interior pass-rusher and as a run-defender.
We have Fairley currently listed as the No. 15 player in our Top 25 – 2015 Free Agents list.
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