Kobe Joseph’s season appears to be over.
The Detroit Lions placed Joseph on injured reserve on Saturday, Dec. 20, nearly 10 weeks after his last game.
Joseph, the NFL’s interceptions leader in 2024, has battled knee issues all season. He injured his knee in training camp, suffered a bone injury in the same area in the Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns and is dealing with cartilage issues that have kept him out of the game.
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) leaves the game after defeating the Chicago Bears at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 14, 2025.
Joseph will miss at least four games on IR — the Lions (8-6) have three games remaining in the regular season; he is eligible for the divisional round of the playoffs but seems unlikely to return and is expected to pursue non-surgical options to help his knee in the offseason, such as stem cell therapy.
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The Lions activated left guard Christian Mahogany from IR to replace Joseph on the 53-man roster.
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Mahogany suffered a broken left leg in a Nov. 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and has missed the past six weeks. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Mahogany “looked pretty good” in practice this week.
With the Red Lions starting seven different combinations on the offensive line this year and still dealing with the team’s injury issues, Mahogany’s return comes at a welcome time for the Lions.
Starting center Graham Glasgow is ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a knee injury, and the team promoted center Kingsley Eguaquin and tight end Giovanni Ricci from the practice squad to the game-day roster.
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Eguaquin has played three offensive snaps in his career but has seen some first-team action this week at center and could start against the Steelers.
Left tackle Taylor Decker has been sidelined all season with a shoulder injury, while Trystan Colon, who started at left guard the past two weeks and has been the Lions’ backup center for much of the season, is questionable due to a thumb/wrist injury.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Please contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram: @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Kerby Joseph injury update: Will Detroit Lions play Steelers?