The Detroit Lions kick off the 2023 season tonight on a national stage in Kansas City against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the NFL's opening game.
The Lions enter tonight's contest pretty healthy having avoided any serious injuries in training camp to their core players. The only injury inactive for Detroit tonight is veteran cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who the team ruled out on Wednesday. Moseley missed all of training camp rehabbing a knee injury he suffered last season while in San Francisco. He has returned to practice on a limited basis this week but is probably a week or two away from being in the gameday lineup.
"To be honest, I feel like my old self, man, which is a credit to the training room," Moseley told detroitlions.com Monday.
Joining Moseley on Detroit's inactive list tonight are defensive linemen Romeo Okwara, Isaiah Buggs and Brodric Martin. No real surprises with how the rotation upfront on defense was playing out at the end of camp. With the Lions keeping 11 defensive linemen/pass rushers on the 53-man roster the numbers game wasn't going to allow Detroit to keep all 11 active on gameday. Also joining Detroit's inactive list tonight is undrafted rookie cornerback Steven Gilmore.
One of the big storylines this week for Kansas City was the health of All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, who hyperextended a knee in practice on Tuesday. Kelce has been listed as inactive and won't play tonight, which is certainly a big loss for them. Kelce led the Chiefs in receptions (110), receiving yards (1,338) and touchdowns (12) last season.
All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones also won't be available tonight as he remains on the Reserve/Did Not Report list as he seeks a new contract.
