Surgeon General Warning: Being a Detroit Lion May Be Hazardous to Health

Next year, any players drafted by the Detroit Lions might do well to take out a hefty insurance policy.

The 14 players on the Lions’ injured reserve probably wish they had.

First-round pick Brandon Pettigrew is the latest to hit IR, and he represents only the latest in a sordid history of unfortunate injuries for the Lions.

Though the relationship between the two is arguable, an annual laundry list of injuries is as much a part of the Lions’ identity today as losing is, and this season has proven no different.

The injury list started early when veteran defensive end Jared DeVries went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon in training camp. From there, they started to compile injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Daniel Bullocks was an early scratch, and he would later be joined by Marquand Manuel, Eric King, DeMarcus Faggins, Chris Roberson, Ko Simpson, and Jack Williams.

And that’s just the secondary.

Ultimately, many of the Lions’ most influential injuries have not been season-ending.

Matthew Stafford has missed time already this season, and may again if he continues to get his bell rung like he has.

Calvin Johnson has missed games, as has Sammie Hill, Cliff Avril, Ernie Sims, and Grady Jackson.

The defense is so depleted, the Lions are having to scour practice squads for talent everywhere and sign anybody who looks halfway capable. And more often than not, those players end up on IR as well.

And it’s not just this season, either. The Lions have a history of frustrating injuries to key players.

Last year, the reason the Lions had five quarterbacks on their roster is because none of them could stay healthy for more than about three games at a time.

The year before that, Calvin Johnson spent most of his rookie year hobbled with a back injury.

Though he turned out to be a bust, wideout Charles Rogers spent the majority of his first two professional seasons on IR after breaking his collarbone early in the season. In both seasons.

Roy Williams was limited in his rookie season with an ankle injury, before having a breakout season in 2006, then hitting IR late in the 2007 season.

A flurry of promising defensive draft picks from earlier this decade—Barrett Green, Boss Bailey, and Teddy Lehman among them—suffered injuries early in their careers. All showed great promise with their play before injury. None were able to regain that form upon their return.

Of course, in some circumstances, injuries to a rebuilding team are not the worst thing in the world. Injuries force a team to explore more of its roster and possibly find a starting-quality talent where there was once a third-stringer.

This is not so when it comes to young players. As Lions fans have seen far too many times, injuries to young players can derail an otherwise-promising career.

When they don’t derail a career, they certainly set them back. Rookies need as much developmental time as they can get, and time spent away from the field while rehabbing an injury is time they’re not getting any better.

So Brandon Pettigrew will join a slew of players spending the rest of the season in the doctor’s office, and his progression will have to wait until next season.

So 2010 draft picks and free agents beware. If the Detroit Lions come calling, then answer the call…but maybe wear some extra padding.