Lions DE Ansah expected to return for Week 1

SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 07: Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said he feels good about Ziggy Ansah returning for Week 1 of the regular season. Ansah suffered an ankle injury of Week 2 last season and has been dealing with the injury ever since. He has yet to practice this training camp.
  • A return from Ansah would be huge for a defense that just lost their top pass-rusher from 2016 Kerry Hyder for the entire season. Ansah has been a solid contributor since joining the Lions in 2013. In 2014 (81.9 overall grade) and 2015 (80.5 overall grade), Ansah ranked inside the top 26 among edge defenders but took a slight step back last season while playing through a severe ankle injury. His 2016 grade of 75.7 ranked 46th out of 110 qualifying edge defenders.
  • Ansah has been very productive rushing the passer and since 2014. Including his 2016 down year, Ansah ranks seventh among 4-3 defensive ends in total pressures at 164 over that stretch. In 2015, he ranked second among 4-3 defensive ends in pass-rush productivity at 13.6.

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