Dan Campbell confirmed the Detroit Lions lost two members of the trenches for a “prolonged period” during Tuesday’s practice.
Defenseman John Cominsky will be “out for an extended period of time” after being carted off the practice field with a right knee injury during team drills. Offensive guard Netane Muti is the other player Campbell said suffered an injury that will sideline him for an extended period of time after leaving the field Wednesday with an upper-body injury.
“We lost Commish,” Campbell said. “He’s going to be here for a long time. And Muti, a guard. So both of them have injuries that are going to put them out for a while and both of them are going to need surgeries and I hate that for both of them. Both of them had good camps.”
Cominsky is entering the final year of the two-year contract he signed with the Lions after his first season with the team in 2022. He made 11 starts on the defensive line as a rotation member in 2023, finishing with two sacks and 36 total tackles in 16 regular-season games.
“He’s been with us for three years now, man,” Campbell said. “He’s just a steady piece that does things the right way, works hard, so I hate that. But I also know he’s going to get there and do everything he can to come back and be ready.”
NFL Network and ESPN reported Wednesday night that Cominsky has a torn ACL that will sideline him for months. Campbell wouldn’t provide details beyond that time frame, but said he and general manager Brad Holmes are hopeful about a possible return by the end of the season.
“We’re optimistic,” Campbell said. “Listen, if somebody can do it, if somebody can come back and be ready to play at the end of the season, we know Cominsky will do everything he can to come back, so that’s tentatively what we think.”
Muti is a reserve offensive lineman who joined the team as a free agent after playing briefly with the Raiders in 2023. He played both guard and center with the other reserve offensive players during training camp.
More:Have the Detroit Lions gotten weaker since the end of their brutal two-day camp practice?
More:Detroit Lions Camp Observations: John Cominsky transported with right knee injury
Campbell said the training camp period was about finding out what players can do in situations like this and he liked what he saw of the depth that should fill Cominsky’s role.
“The good news is we have some really good depth and starters in that (defensive line) room that continue to improve,” he said.
