After two years filled with uncertainty about his status because of knee injuries, the early days of camp looked like more of the same for Lions safety Louis Delmas.
He missed several days of practice last week because of what Lions coach Jim Schwartz described as soreness and swelling in his knee, but Delmas said Tuesday that the condition of his knee is better than it has been the last couple of years. He was a limited participant in practice for the second straight day, which he acknowledges doesn’t sound like much unless you’ve been battling pain in your knee.
“I feel like I can go out there and practice,” Delmas said, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “Like I’ve been telling my coach, this is the best I’ve felt in two years. I don’t know how much of a compliment that is, but that feels like a compliment to me.”
Delmas’ status for Friday’s preseason opener is still up in the air, but the Lions’ cautious approach to Delmas’ practice schedule suggests that they’ll go with other safeties with an eye on keeping Delmas on track for the regular season. Should their approach continue to keep Delmas feeling better than he has in years, the Lions defense will be much better for it.