'Who was that?': Kerby Joseph's return to practice surprises Lions teammates

ALLEN PARK — Jared Goff was going through a normal Detroit Lions practice, getting ready to face the scout team, when he saw a face that hasn't graced the practice field in some time. It was All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph, who was a participant for the first time this season as the Lions opened his 21-day acclimation window on Wednesday, Oct. 28 . "He's out there on the scout team looking me in the eye," Goff said. "I'm like, 'When the hell did you get out here?'" More: Jahmyr Gibbs misses Lions practice with new injury Linebacker Derrick Barnes had caught wind that Joseph would be out there, but he didn't realize that Joseph would be doing more than watching. "I thought he was just talking about just — I don't know," Barnes said. "And then we were out there and walk-through, and I looked back, and I said, 'Who was that?' And it was Kerby. And it put a big smile on my face, man." Joseph is well-liked among teammates for his infectious energy — and, of course, what he can do on the field. Since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2022, Joseph has 20 interceptions. "He creates turnovers, I can tell you that," Barnes said. "Kerby's one of them guys, man, super smart, super athletic, knows as a safety how to read a lot of things back there, sees it all, (and) brings a lot of energy to the defense, man." After a demoralizing start to the season, the Lions' defense has had some things go its way since their Week 5 win against the Arizona Cardinals, when they limited the opposition to 21 points. The Lions followed up that performance with a 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers in Brian Branch's season debut, injecting a breath fresh air into the unit. "We're getting the boys back, which is super exciting, man," Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. "It was great seeing Kerb. It was just all smiles out there at the walk-through." With Branch, who was recovering from an Achilles injury for the first five games, and Joseph, who's been dealing with a lingering knee injury for over a year now, out of the lineup, the Lions became even more shorthanded at safety when Avonte Maddox suffered a season-ending foot injury and Thomas Harper was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury . But sooner than later, a position of weakness could become one of the best in the league. "It's fun, it's exciting," Goff said. "Those guys are great players for us." nbianchi@detroitnews.com @nolanbianchi