Joique Bell back at practice
Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell (35) carries the ball against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay (22) during the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Lions No. 2 running back Joique Bell suffered a foot injury during Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Bell was unable to practice yesterday to start the week. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was mum on any updates regarding his status, and it looked like Bell’s status would be up-in-the-air this week. Nobody expected him to practice on Wednesday and the injury didn’t look severe, but it did seem significant enough to potentially cause Bell to miss this week’s game.
But now, it looks like Bell is a lock to play this week, barring a setback. According to the Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett, Joique Bell has returned to practice today for the Lions, meaning that he is fully expected to play on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since the Bucs are a light opponent and the Lions have a big, Thanksgiving game the week after against the Green Bay Packers, the Lions could limit Bell’s snaps. But since he is at practice already, he could just get his normal workload in.
So far this season, Bell has 81 carries for 326 yards and five touchdowns, as well as 30 receptions for 344 yards. He and Reggie Bush are a dynamic, all-purpose duo, and both players cause a high amount of mis-matches on linebackers in coverage. It’s great to hear that Bell is back at practice, because it means that his foot injury is indeed a minor ailment.