Jahvid Best Will Start Season On PUP List

Best, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list, took his concussion test on Monday and expects to get the results back on Friday. If cleared, Best could return to the practice field for the first time since Week 6 of last season. Best said he’s hopeful he will be cleared and thinks he can make a difference for the Lions.

The process, which included multiple hours of testing, is just the latest in a long road to recovery for Best. Despite not experiencing post-concussion symptoms this summer, Best was placed on the PUP list because he was still unable to gain clearance to return. There were rumors that Best was possibly considering retirement, but he maintained he was working to get back on the field.

Greenwood missed all of training camp after having abdominal surgery, while Nagy was recovering from an ankle injury. Scott was placed on IR after hurting his knee early in training camp.

For more on the Detroit Lions’ roster cuts, check out the SB Nation blog Pride Of Detroit. Meanwhile, for all of the roster moves, visit this SB Nation StoryStream.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said recently that Best isn’t close to returning to the field, and now it appears that he won’t be eligible to return to game action again until Week 7. The 2010 first-round pick only appeared in six games last season before being lost to a head injury, but he’s already compiled 1,719 total yards over 22 games in his two-year NFL career.

Best said earlier in the week that he was not experiencing post-concussion symptoms. The team is subjecting him to regular tests to monitor his recovery from the concussion he suffered last October.

For more on the Lions, visit Pride of Detroit.

If Best is still on the PUP list by the start of the regular season, he will be forced to sit out until after Week 6 per NFL rules. At this point, Lions fans have plenty of reason to be pessimistic about the running back. Best has struggled to stay healthy throughout his two-year career, and played in just six games last season. Considering the recurring nature of concussions, there is a chance his career is in jeopardy.

For more on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit.

The plan, according to Chris McCosky, is for team doctors to test Best on Friday, and he could be cleared for contact. Best’s concussion symptoms were so bad at one point that the young running back had considered retiring from football.

Running back depth is an issue for the Lions entering 2012, so getting Best healthy and on the football field can be a big boost for the team.

Best likely won’t start taking contact until the start of training camp in July. The team still has yet to announce anything resembling a timetable for the third-year running back. Best played in just six games last season.

For more on Best and the Lions, head over to the SB Nation blog Pride Of Detroit.

The Lions have remained tight-lipped every time they’ve been asked about Best’s status. There still isn’t anything resembling a timetable for the former first-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Considering his long history of concussions stretching back to his playing days at Cal, it is hard to imagine he will be able to carry a full load of carries any time soon.

Best had 390 yards rushing and 287 yards receiving with three total touchdowns in six games played last season.

Best has a history of concussions so the Lions were being as cautious as they could with his long-term health.

In six games this season, Best has run for 390 yards on 84 carries and three total touchdowns.

For more on Best, check out Detroit Lions blog Pride Of Detroit.

For more on the Lions, be sure to visit Pride of Detroit.

The Lions are being cautious with Best, a 2010 first-round pick whose college career was ended due to a concussion. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz would not provide a timetable for Best’s return to the backfield, noting that concussions differ from structural injuries that have more standardized timetables for recovery.

“I sort of press a button when I start talking about concussions,” Schwartz said according to Anwar Richardson of MLive.com. “Every one is different. Some guys respond differently. You can’t put any of them in a box. You can’t say -- we, as coaches, we always do -- ‘Hey, it’s a high ankle sprain. How long do you expect the guy to be out?’, or it’s a hamstring, or it’s a shoulder. You sort of have a general idea (of a recovery time).

Head coach Jim Schwartz says Best will play when given medical clearance but given the severity of concussions, it’s been in question whether Best could even return this season.

According to Detroit offensive co-ordinator Scott Linehan, the all-purpose back will return to action this season but optimism is expected from the coaching staff. As it stands, the second-year back out of Cal will be evaluated on a week to week basis.

For more on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.

Will the Detroit Lions lose running back Jahvid Best for the entire 2011 season? It’s possible. Mike Freeman at CBSSports.com reported today that people close to Best are advising him to sit out the rest of the 2011 season after sustaining his second concussion of the year.

Best, a first-round pick in 2010, missed the final four games of his last season at the University of California with concussion-like symptoms.

Durant tweeted that he had passed his concussion protocol test, but was held out of today’s practice, as well.

For more on the Lions, be sure to visit Pride of Detroit.

The Lions traded for Ronnie Brown at the NFL trade deadline for extra insurance if Best is unable to go, but it seems there’s still a decent chance of Detroit’s starting running back being cleared for the game against Atlanta.