ALEX Anzalone and Terrion Arnold are officially questionable to play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Both players made limited returns to practice this week and are trending toward playing in the desert, while defensive backs Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ennis Rakestraw have been ruled out.
Anzalone is working his way back from a brain injury he suffered when teammate Derrick Barnes collided with him last week against Tampa. He’s the leading tackler in Detroit and wears the green dot as the communicator of the defense. If he’s limited, Jack Campbell is expected to take over Anzalone’s role, while Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez will round out the rotation
The situation is a little more unclear at cornerback, where Arnold is only two weeks into his rookie season and needs all the practice time he can get after a difficult start. But he missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with an illness before making a limited return on Friday. It seems like he’s trending toward playing in Arizona, but his lack of experience could work against him on a short week.
Arnold’s top backup is Rakestraw, another rookie who has already been ruled out. Kindle Vildor is next up in the rotation on the outside, and Amik Robertson can play there too.
Rakestraw hasn’t practiced since suffering an abdomen injury during warmups before the Bucs game, while Melifonwu has practiced just once in a month because of an ankle injury. He could be a candidate for injured reserve, but Detroit has held off so far, hoping he gets healthy enough to return in the first month of the season.
Edge rusher Marcus Davenport is full-go for the Cardinals game, giving the Lions their first look at a full-strength defensive line.
