About this episode

The episode discusses the Detroit Lions' injury management and roster decisions with insights from Dr. Jimmy Liao.

The Detroit Lions must manage running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ snaps because Isaiah Pacheco faces a multi-month back recovery and Brian Branch is tracking for an October return. Sam LaPorta looks ready now, but ongoing back management matters. Waiving Seth McLaughlin and Jabari Small preserved flexibility amid concussion timelines. Why were Seth McLaughlin and Jabari Small waived instead of placed on IR? The Lions chose waivers to keep near-term roster and practice-squad flexibility, not season-long IR limits. Lions center Seth McLaughlin sustained a concussion around August 27. Dr. Jimmy Liao said his three-year concussion review showed a median 11-day return to play, so McLaughlin’s waiver was a slight surprise based on timeline alone. Lions running back Jabari Small was a different case. There was strong concern on film for a second concussion in preseason game three, though no official diagnosis was announced. Dr. Jimmy Liao warned that if Small truly suffered two concussions within eight days, he is out for at least a month and his functional threshold to absorb contact becomes a season-long concern. As Jeff Risdon explained, waiving rather than injury-settling preserves the…

People in this episode

Host: The Detroit Lions Podcast

Guest: Dr. Jimmy Liao

Topics covered

• Lions injuries
• player management
• concussion protocols
• roster decisions
• NFL updates

Keywords

• Jahmyr Gibbs
• Isaiah Pacheco
• concussion
• NFL
• Detroit Lions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Detroit Lions

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