Reggie Bush, Eddie Lacy not practicing

Here are a pair of injury/practice updates on two NFC North starting running backs. Detroit Lions RB Reggie Bush was not expected to practice today after injuring his knee on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Reggie Bush was indeed among those not participating in today’s practice. Other notable absences include Louis Delmas and Don Carey, while Nick Fairley was able to practice despite a shoulder injury.

Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush (21) reacts after losing 25-21 to the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Bush could be able to play in Week 3 against the Washington Redskins, but this is shaping up to be a game-time decision. The great news for the Lions is that Bush’s MRI came back clean and there is clearly nothing to worry about long-term, but head coach Jim Schwartz implied that Bush could miss a week or two. There have been no clear updates regarding his status, and he’s headed for a light week of practice this week. His status is totally up in the air for the Redskins game, and I think we should be in store for a big week from Joique Bell regardless of whether or not Bush plays.

Eddie Lacy is essentially a definite no-go for Week 3’s big game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and the concussed Green Bay Packers rookie running back was also not expected to practice today. Per ESPN NFL Nation’s Rob Demovsky, Eddie Lacy, Casey Hayward, Jermichael Finley, and John Kuhn were notable absences at running back, and the injuries to Lacy and Kuhn have left the Packers a bit thin at running back.

The most likely situation has Lacy missing the Bengals game and rest over the bye week before playing in Week 5. I would be very surprised if Lacy ends up playing against the Bengals, so we’ll see another heavy dose of James Starks, who tore up the Washington Redskins once Lacy went down with an injury. Brandon Meriweather should be ashamed of that dirty helmet-to-helmet hit on Lacy, and I hope the Packers give their rookie RB a week of rest. He doesn’t seem ready yet, and I can only see him suiting up in Week 3 if his recovery goes significantly faster than expected or the concussion is significantly less severe than expected. Lacy seems to be on the right track early on, so we shouldn’t rule him out against the Bengals. However, his status is unlikely, and I would also be surprised if he even practices this week.

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