With Aaron Brown ruled out and Jahvid Best dealing with a turf toe injury, it is expected that Lions running back Kevin Smith will be active for the first time all season on Sunday. Although Smith was ready to go on the first day of training camp despite tearing his ACL at the end of last season, Jim Schwartz held off on playing him in the first three weeks of 2010. With depth a bit thin, though, Smith's 2010 debut appears to be nearing.
"He's getting a lot closer," coach Jim Schwartz said. "What we need to balance with Kevin is injuries to other players and where the team is, and we still need to make the right choice for where he is. Kevin's been chomping at the bit. He's ready to go. But sometimes you have to look at it objectively. I know he's a lot closer now than he was in the preseason."
It's unknown how much playing time Smith will get, but I would imagine the Lions won't want to overuse Best (assuming Best plays). They obviously won't want to overuse Smith either, but he will definitely be part of the rotation if he is in fact active.