Detroit Lions

Lions LB Levy: Going on injured reserve was 'best thing long term'

Published Dec. 21, 2015 4:38 p.m. ET

foxsports

Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy tried to play this season, but a hip injury limited him to just a brief appearance in a Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He did not record a tackle in that game and was placed on season-ending injured reserve shortly thereafter.

Although Levy nearly returned to action this year, he said rushing back to action would not have been a good idea.

Via ESPN's Michael Rothstein:

I don’t think it would have been smart if we would of. It’s hard to say, because right now I’m not as aggressive with [rehab], you know what I mean. So I’m kind of just patient, but who knows. I don’t really know. It’s hard to say. It’s hard to say, man.

Like running right now and cutting and planting and trying to tackle, it might still be a little bit of a risk of re-hurting, so shutting it down was the best thing long term.

Levy, 28, is an impact playmaker at weak-side linebacker. A season ago, he led the team with 151 total tackles. He signed a four-year, $33.7 million contract extension in August, making him one of the highest-paid 4-3 outside linebackers in the NFL.

The Lions missed Levy dearly on defense this season, highlighting the need for him to make a full recovery for next year.