Calvin Johnson Injury: Updates on Lions Star's Ankle and Return

Updates from Sunday, Nov. 9

Calvin Johnson is active for Week 10, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com confirmed.

Updates from Friday, Nov. 7

ESPN's Michael Rothstein has the latest on Johnson:

Updates from Wednesday, Nov. 5

Calvin Johnson spoke about his return to the Lions heading into Week 10, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com:

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Calvin Johnson said he's never felt this fresh hallway through a season. 3-4 weeks off can do that. That's not a good sign for defenses.

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) November 5, 2014"

Updates from Monday, Nov. 3

Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported on Calvin Johnson from Lions practice:

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After having the bye week off, both wide receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Reggie Bush returned to practice for the Detroit Lions on Monday, possibly a sign they will both be ready to go against Miami next Sunday. 

"

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 29

Tori Petry, multimedia journalist for the Detroit Lions, provides a synopsis of Calvin Johnson discussing his potential return: 

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 26

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com confirms Calvin Johnson will not play in Week 8:

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press previously provided video of Johnson testing his injury before the game:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 24

ESPN's Ed Werder provides details on Calvin Johnson's Week 8 status:

Tim Twentyman of Lions.com has more on Johnson's injury:

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All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson will truly be a game-time decision for the Detroit Lions in Sunday’s game vs. Atlanta at Wembley Stadium.

[...]

Johnson was limited in practice all week but did more and looked better as the week progressed. The Lions list him as questionable and he’ll be a game-time decision.

“He did work yesterday. I thought he did a pretty good job, but we’ll see where he is today,” head coach Jim Caldwell said of Johnson before Friday’s practice.

"

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 23

Richard Graves of Sky Sports has an update on Johnson's status at Thursday's practice:

Kyle Meinke of MLive.com and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press provide head coach Jim Caldwell's thoughts on Johnson's progress:

Tim Twentyman of Lions.com and ESPN's Michael Rothstein have an update on Johnson's status:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 22

Tim Twentyman of Lions.com has an update on Johnson's practice status:

Twentyman later updated Johnson's status after practice:

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 21

The Lions' official Twitter feed provided details on where Johnson stands right now:

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has an update on Johnson's status:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 20

The Lions provided a synopsis of head coach Jim Caldwell discussing Calvin Johnson's status heading into Week 8:

ESPN's Michael Rothstein continued:

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 19

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com confirms Calvin Johnson will not play in Week 7.

Albert Breer of NFL.com previously provided a video on Instagram of Johnson testing his ankle this morning:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 17

The Lions officially listed Johnson as questionable for Sunday's game. 

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has the latest on Johnson's status:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 15

Kyle Meinke of MLive.com provides an update on Calvin Johnson's injury: 

DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman and ESPN's Michael Rothstein passes along more from Johnson, who spoke about his return to action and practice plans:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 13

ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein has an update on Johnson's status:

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Calvin Johnson missed his first game of the season Sunday against Minnesota and Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell did not rule out the possibility of sitting him the next two weeks, either.

When asked whether or not he would consider sitting Johnson until the team's bye week in Week 9, he didn't rule out the idea of not playing him against New Orleans and Atlanta.

'I do not hold a medical degree. It may appear I do from time to time to you maybe, but I don't,' Caldwell said. 'The fact of the matter is I leave it up to the doctors. Those are the professionals. They know exactly what it takes.

'Them in conjunction with Calvin and how he feels, they treat not only symptoms of the situation but also the patient as well in terms of how he feels. So they'll let us know what's the best path to take.'

"

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 12

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com confirms Calvin Johnson is inactive for Week 6.

Around the NFL, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, previously reported the pregame expectation for Johnson today:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

Tim Twentyman of Lions.com has the latest on Johnson:

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It appears the Lions could be without two major weapons on offense Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.

All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson is listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report and running back Reggie Bush is questionable.

"

Tim Twentyman of Lions.com reports on Johnson's status for Friday's practice:

Paula Pasche of the Oakland Press has an update on Johnson's status:

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A decision has been made on whether Calvin Johnson will play, but Caldwell won’t make it public. The coach said a few weeks ago he didn’t think Johnson would play and then he did. Reading between the lines, sounds like he’ll sit. Injury report at 4 p.m. could reveal more.

"

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 8

Tim Twentyman of Lions.com has an update on Johnsn's status:

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press passed along quotes from Calvin Johnson on his injured ankle:

Tim Twentyman of the Detroit Lions and Michael Rothstein of ESPN shared more comments from Johnson on what it would take to play in Week 6 and how he'll manage the injury going forward:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 6

Calvin Johnson may not have been pleased with the way Detroit handled him in Week 5 according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network via Gregg Rosenthal:

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NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Around The NFL on Monday that Megatron was frustrated with having to go out there less than 100 percent.

"Players always want to play. You know he is a gamer," Rapoport said. "But he wants to make sure he gets this ankle healed for the long haul."

"

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press provides a statement from Lions head coach Jim Caldwell discussing Johnson's injury:

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I won't be certain if it's a long-term issue, but he did take a pretty good whack right there on the side of his leg. They looked at it, but they'll evaluate him further, probably tomorrow and get a good look at him.

"

ESPN's SportsCenter Twitter account provided more on Caldwell's thought-process in regards to Johnson's status for Week 6:

Original Text

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson exited his squad's Week 5 contest against the Buffalo Bills due to an ankle injury, the team announced. 

Johnson was later downgraded to doubtful, via Tim Twentyman of the Detroit Lions:

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report passed along what he was hearing about Johnson's status:

The four-time Pro Bowler will most likely be replaced by a combination of Jeremy Ross and Corey Fuller. Neither young wideout has been much of a factor in the offense this season, as Matthew Stafford has largely kept the ball going Johnson and Golden Tate's way when not checking down to a running back.

Tate, who came over from the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, will ascend to the top receiver spot for as long as Johnson is out of the lineup. The former Notre Dame standout has developed solid chemistry with Stafford this season, connecting on a series of underneath routes to move the chains. Without Johnson drawing constant bracket coverage, however, those throwing lanes may be less open.

Arguably the best receiver in football, Johnson is no stranger to the injury list. He has appeared on the Lions' injury list for more than 50 weeks of his career and was hobbled earlier this season by an ankle injury. The key with Johnson hasn't been keeping him healthy, because he rarely has been. It's been keeping him healthy enough to suit up.

Despite his myriad issues, Johnson has missed just six games in his eight-year career. The Lions offense has (understandably) cratered without its top pass-catching option. Detroit scored just 22 points in his two absences in 2013 and has scored 20 points or fewer in five of those six contests.

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Any long-term absence would obviously cause a major disruption in Detroit's playoff hopes. Although it's been rife with fits and starts, the Lions have managed to keep themselves in the NFC North hunt thanks to an improved defense and the continued chemistry of their offense.

"I think we have an opportunity to dominate every particular game," defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh told reporters in September after his squad beat the Green Bay Packers, 19-7. "As long as we hone into our keys, get off the ball and do what we're taught and execute."

That defense will have exponentially higher responsibilities for as long as Johnson is out. Stafford's passing windows are going to be smaller, safeties can cheat toward the line of scrimmage to thwart Detroit's already below-average run game and the pressure may cause an even higher turnover rate.

It's safe to say fingers, toes and legs are currently crossed in Detroit as we await word of Johnson's status.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter