The Lions will be using the third preseason game as a chance to get a final extended look at their starters before the start of the regular season and it looks like that group will include wide receiver Calvin Johnson for the first time this summer.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell said on Monday that the team plans for Johnson to make his preseason debut on Friday against the Jaguars. The team has been taking things slow with Johnson after offseason knee and finger surgeries and Caldwell said that the plans could still change if the team feels “prudence” continues to be the best path to take.
“We plan to get him some work this week,” Caldwell said, via MLive.com. “That’s [Monday] that I’m telling you that. Toward the end of the week, something adjusts, or we have to adjust here and there, and it could be that with a number of different guys, but we plan to get him some work this week.”
Caldwell said that the team expects the first team to play into the second half, although there will be some exceptions. Johnson would likely be one of this exceptions, as would defensive end Ziggy Ansah if he suits up. Caldwell said Ansah’s status is still up in the air after coming off the PUP list last week.