Fact or Fiction: Detroit Lions Kerby Joseph Will Never Play Again in NFL

Fans are losing hope that Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph will play in NFL.

Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) looks on during warm ups ahead of the New Orleans Saints game at Ford Field | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Supporters of the Detroit Lions are losing hope that safety Kerby Joseph will ever suit up to play in the National Football League.

With each occasion head coach Dan Campbell speaks about the degenerative knee condition Joseph has been rehabbing for nearly a year, the grim reality sets in more and more.

Even if Joseph does return to action, what type of player is he going to be? It would be unrealistic to expect All-Pro caliber production, at least for the current 2026 season.

For a brief period in time, the Lions actually had one of the top safety duos in the entire league. What felt like a promising future for both Joseph and Brian Branch has quickly turned to despair about what might have been.

Detroit's defense is again the laughing stock of the league, with the general manager seemingly the only person not aware that replacing Branch and Joseph with cheap band-aids would not turn out favorably.

Speaking during his weekly radio interview on 97.1 The Ticket, the former NFL tight end again could not provide any sort of optimism regarding Joseph's injury return timetable.

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“Well, I wish I could make you feel good. I can’t make you feel good. It’s going to come as it comes, and he’s not ready. We’re trying to get him there as fast as we can, and we’re trying to be as smart about it as we can," Campbell explained. "And if he’s ready, when he’s ready, of course we want to play him and get him on the field.”

When asked a follow up regarding what needed to change about Joseph's condition at this point to get him on the field, Campbell simply added, "I guess nothing."

What made the saga so much more emotionally taxing was sycophant fans and a few members of the media who believed hype videos posted on social media. They decided that posting hopeful messages on social media and selfies would guarantee the former third-round pick would appear Week 1 against the Saints.

Joseph also fueled believe among some fans with a summer filled with photos and videos of himself at the Lions facility.

Now all hope has been replaced with pondering thoughts of what might have been. Even Joseph has again left social media during his latest sabbatical.

This writer has given up hope that Joseph will return in 2026. It is better in our opinion at this point to close the book and then be pleasantly surprised if he plays for the Lions.

At least we had those Joseph social media posts declaring he was back in action.

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