Detroit Lions' David Montgomery (ribs) out 'for a little bit'; Jahmyr Gibbs nearing return
The Detroit Lions will have to do without their leading rusher for this week's game against the Baltimore Ravens, and perhaps longer.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said running back David Montgomery will "be down for a little bit" with the rib injury he suffered in Sunday's 20-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Montgomery suffered a rib cartilage injury, Campbell said, when he was tackled from behind on a screen pass late in the first half.
"He’s got a little something in there," Campbell said. "I don’t know how long (he will be out). That’ll just be really how long it takes for this to ½ at his position that’s not an easy thing to deal with."
It's unclear if Montgomery will require a trip to injured reserve, and the Lions' schedule sets up so that he might only have to miss two games.
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The Lions (5-1) visit the Ravens, owners of the NFL's seventh-ranked run defense, this weekend and host the Las Vegas Raiders in a Monday night game Oct. 30 before their Week 9 bye.
Montgomery has shouldered a heavy workload for the Lions this season, despite battling two different injuries. He sat out a Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons with a bruised thigh, then returned to amass 51 carries for 230 yards and four touchdowns the next two weeks in wins over the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers.
Montgomery leads the Lions with 94 carries, 385 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He had six carries for 14 yards before his injury Sunday, when the Lions played without rookie first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs for the second straight game because of a strained hamstring.
Gibbs carried 17 times for 80 yards in Montgomery's absence against the Falcons, and Campbell said he ran "really well" in rehab Saturday and had "another really good workout" on Monday.
"He, (tight end James) Mitchell and (defensive back Brian) Branch I thought all looked pretty good today, so I think they’re trending the right way," Campbell said.
Mitchell and Branch sat out the Buccaneers game with hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively.
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If Gibbs can't play this week, Campbell said the Lions do not necessarily need to add anyone to a running back room that also features Craig Reynolds and Devine Ozigbo. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond got one carry out of the backfield against the Bucs, and Campbell said the Lions have "other guys we can use on the roster at that position."
"Probably in the receiver room is where that could come from," he said. "We’ll do what we need to do to make it through this," he said. "If that’s the case then all we have is those two, but I trust those two to be able to handle what we need to handle."
Big V update
Right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai has played only on special teams in his return from a knee injury the past two weeks, and Campbell acknowledged the Lions are in no rush to sit Vaitai's replacement, Graham Glasgow.
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"It is hard to do that cause you don’t want to mess with the chemistry that’s going on right now, cause Graham is playing good, solid football for us," Campbell said. "But at the same token with Jonah (Jackson) out, Big V it’s just about, man, we want to make sure that he’s 100% comfortable with his own abilities with his knee coming back."
Vaitai injured his knee in the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, sat out the next two games and has played 11 total snaps the past two weeks on the extra point and field goal teams.
Kayode Awosika started at left guard in Jackson's place Sunday, and replaced Jackson for the Lions' final offensive series against the Panthers.
Campbell said Vaitai is "almost back to 100%," and he said Awosika had a "solid" showing against the Bucs.
"Big V is just steadily coming back from this," Campbell said. "He’s kind of been on the reserve, he was better this week than last week but we just want to make sure he’s 100% ready to go and then we’ll take it from there. But certainly what Yode did was encouraging and I have a lot of faith in him. He’ll only get better as well."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' David Montgomery to miss time with rib cartilage injury
