DJ Reader, who has not practiced this preseason, was activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list today, allowing him to begin the individual drills that Dan Campbell predicted last week. The Lions had the option to keep him on the PUP list during the regular season, which would have made him ineligible for the first 4 games of the season.
Keeping Reader on the PUP list would have opened up a roster spot at the 53-man cut next Tuesday. Taking him off the PUP list now suggests the Lions believe Reader’s rehab is going well enough to be ready to play. He’s ready to play in Week 1, but there are a few reasons why that shouldn’t be expected.
RELEVANT MEDICAL HISTORY
-June 2024: Knee arthroscopy, which is often a sign of cartilage damage. This probably affected his rehab.
-December 16, 2023: Rupture of the right quadriceps tendon that requires surgery. Recovery usually takes about 9 months, so the start of this season was always questionable.
-2022: Knee injury, missed 6 games.
-2020: Left quadriceps tendon tear in the 5th game. Returned to start of next season.
Prognosis of the quadriceps tendon
A quadriceps tendon tear brings with it concerns about durability even after complete healing. Here are some recent case reports of quadriceps tendon tears:
-Anthony Walker 2022: injured in game 3, returned in game 1 of the next season, played 12 games before a knee injury ended his season.
-Gerald McCoy 2020: injured in preseason, returned in 1st game of the next season, but injured his other knee in 1st game and never played again.
-Mike McGlinchey 2021: injured in game 8, returned in game 1 next season, played all 17 games.
-Dontari Poe 2019: injured in game 11, returned in game 1 of the next season, played 7 games before being released, and never played again.
-Beau Allen: injured in 2020, never played again.
A 2004 retrospective study of NFL players found that there had been 14 quadriceps tendon tears in the previous 10 years. Only 50% returned to the NFL and the average number of games these players played again was 40.
OUTLOOK
I wouldn’t expect DJ Reader to be ready for Week 1, but today’s removal from the PUP list suggests he will likely be ready by Week 5. Last year, the Lions had a similar situation with Emmanuel Moseley, who was also coming off a long-term injury (ACL), also had a knee arthritis while rehabbing, and was also removed from the PUP list late in the preseason (August 23). Moseley didn’t play a game until Week 5.
Due to bilateral quadriceps tendon tears, potential knee cartilage damage and his age (30), there are concerns about his ability to play this season and beyond, so the Lions would be wise to manage his load either through snap counts or by not playing if they hope to keep him healthy until the playoffs.
