The timing couldn’t have been worse. In a contract year.
But as Josh Paschal has come to grips with the spring back surgery that kept him out of the first nine games of the season, the fourth-year Detroit Lions defensive end has realized there’s plenty of time left to accomplish his goals.
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“I believe that the Lord isn’t going to put me through this just to put me through it,” Paschal told the Free Press this week. “Unfortunately, it happened in my contract year, but at the end of the day adversity’s going to hit, it’s just how you respond. And so I chose to respond like this, going after it and getting after the work, and when I get back just making the most of the opportunity.”
Paschal underwent surgery to fix a disc problem in his back in May after initially trying to rehab an injury he said nagged him last season.
He opened training camp on the nonfootball injury list, but returned to practice last week and is expected to rejoin the lineup at some point this month where he figures to be a key rotational player on the Lions defensive front.
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The Lions (6-3) play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in their first of three games in a 12-day span. They host the New York Giants next week and play the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes said in March he expected Paschal to play a significant role as an interior pass rusher this fall after Paschal started a career-high 10 games while playing mostly as a defensive end last year.
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard wouldn’t say Thursday if that’s still how he envisions using Paschal, but he said the 2022 second-round pick will play important snaps in some capacity. The Lions rank fourth in the NFL in sack rate (10.53%) but have just a half sack from their top four defensive tackles (D.J. Reader, Alim McNeill, Roy Lopez, Tyleik Williams) through nine games.
Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal (93) during players introduction before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022.
“I know exactly what Paschal brings to the table,” Sheppard said. “I know exactly how he can help us and like I told him a month ago, as soon as he’s available he’ll be right back plug-and-play exactly where I see fit for him and you guys just got to wait and see where that is.”
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Paschal called rehab “a long process” that was “hard to get back from.”
“I’m just thankful to be back playing,” he said.
And now that he’s back, he said he’s anxious to make up for lost time.
“It’s very important just because it really just determines the next year of your career and I just want to be able to go out there and perform well individually but also just do anything to help this team win,” he said. “As far as this season, we have a goal that we’re trying to achieve and I want to be whatever piece to the puzzle is possible.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions injury updates: Josh Paschal ready for contract year push
