Detroit Lions' Kerry Hyder looking good in comeback from torn Achilles

Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press

Achilles tendon injuries are notoriously difficult to overcome, but defensive end Kerry Hyder plans to be the exception to the rule.

“I’m not really one to be into statistics,” Hyder said earlier this training camp. “I’m just trying to put the work in and let my play do the talking.”

Hyder missed all of last season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the Detroit Lions’ preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

He rehabbed furiously last fall and winter, and the pace of his comeback has amazed his teammates and coaches. Hyder was a regular participant in Organized Team Activities and minicamp in the spring, and he’s practiced every day without restrictions this summer.

“You talk about a guy that did everything possible through his rehabilitation and working with our trainers and our strength staff to make sure he was ready to go for training camp,” Lions head coach Matt Patricia said. “I think he just willed himself ready to go, to be honest with you. I mean, most of those injuries take a little bit longer. He’s obviously a tough guy. Football, he loves the game, it’s real important to him and I would say that the way he’s approached training camp and just he doesn’t want to be out.”

Hyder worked with the first-team defense during Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage and he’s expected to play a rotational role up front this fall.

He had eight sacks in his last full season of 2016 — the only eight sacks of his career — and said he has a greater appreciation for the game now after it's been taken away.

"We’re one in a million out here," Hyder said. "Just to be in the NFL is a blessing and to have another opportunity to be on the field definitely feels great."

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Ansah update

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah remains on the physically unable to perform list rehabbing from offseason knee surgery, and Patricia declined to put a timetable on his return Saturday.

“For us, the most important thing is just to get guys out there when they’re ready to be out there,” Patricia said. “There’s no timeline for that. It’s something that each individual body is different and when those guys are ready to go, they’ll be ready to go.”

Ansah, who led the Lions with 12 sacks last season, has not played in a preseason game since 2016.

Patricia was asked Saturday how important it is to get Ansah some game time in a defense this summer.

“We’ve gone through a lot of camps where guys have taken a lot of training camp reps and played, and taken no training camp reps and played,” Patricia said. “It’s just part of what that is as far as those guys getting ready. These are professional football players that work every single day to improve and get ready to go whether it’s on the field or off or whatever they’re doing that particular case. So he certainly falls in that category. He’s working hard to get out there and as soon as he is ready to go, he’ll be out there.”

Briefly

Guard T.J. Lang and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson were among those who did not take part in Saturday’s scrimmage. … The Lions signed wide receiver Brian Brown and waived wide receiver Dom Williams. Brown spent part of last season on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!

