Release of Lions Veteran Safety Jalen Mills Signals Major Return

The Detroit Lions announced a decision on veteran defensive back Jalen Mills.

According to the team, Mills was released from the practice squad, after being elevated on three occasions this season.

Safety Brian Branch has returned to practice, and if the front office feels that Mills has fulfilled his obligations, it would pave the way for the former second-round pick to return to game action after rehabbing from an Achilles injury.

With the hamstring injury to Rock Ya-Sin potentially being long-term, there is a pathway for Mills to return, should the front office decide to place him on the injured reserve list.

The team will practice all next week, and should provide the medical staff ample opportunity to evaluate if Branch can suit up and how much he can play against the Green Bay Packers.

Assessment of rookie DB Keith Abney at safety

Lions rookie Keith Abney had not played the safety position since middle, but he was called upon to man the back end along with Chuck Clark against the Arizona Cardinals.

“Thought he was solid. I thought he was solid," said Campbell. "The things that popped up for him were the, 'Hey, I haven't done this before,' which is what you want for a rookie. He's learning as he goes, but we feel very confident that he will learn from those and he won't make those mistakes again. So, I thought he played a good game. First start, first NFL start at safety, never played safety. He's banked some reps for us. We've been cross-training him. But, just man, there's meat on the bone there and he's got room to grow and we feel like he can continue to grow and get better.

"So, that was good. The other thing I want to mention before I got started, I should have said this, man, our fans were outstanding, man. They traveled well to Carolina," Campbell added. "We just didn't give them anything to cheer about. But, I mean, they took over that stadium and you could hear them. And by the end of it, it was good stuff, man. So man, we hear them. We hear you and we love it. We love it.”

The former NFL tight end indicated Abney has a feel for the safety position, which could bode well for his chances of earing increased playing time the rest of the season.

"I think that's a lot of it is, man, what is my responsibility? Some of this, we talk about quarter key. Depending on formation, three by one, two by two, am I getting too vertical to me? Well, if it does, then I stay engaged," Campbell explained, when asked what the coaching staff emphasized to the young defender. "If not and everything starts to go away, I quarter key, read the quarterback's eyes, then feel the pattern match or feel what's coming to me. So, it's different than corner because now you're seeing the whole big picture. And sometimes those guys, when you see the whole big picture, it's too much.

"But, he's kind of got a feel. He's got a feel for it. He's kind of crafty that way. And he's a little bit of jack of all trades and just a young growing player. And that was a step in the right direction yesterday. That was good to see. I mean, he's worth continuing to work with at safety.”

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