Detroit Lions injury analysis: Josh Paschal concerns, curiosities

Allen Park—When the Lions opened their 2025 offseason program, the defensive line was supposed to be anchored by a familiar name who never actually hit free agency. Instead, Josh Paschal spent the spring in the trainer’s room, his status clouded by a back procedure and a roster designation that has raised more questions than answers.

Paschal, once ticketed for unrestricted free agency, remains under contract through 2026 because of little-known tolling language in his deal. That administrative footnote now feels secondary to the medical file that kept him off the field for the entire 2025 campaign. The team confirmed only that Paschal underwent back surgery early in the offseason and was subsequently placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. No specifics about the nature of the injury, the exact procedure, or a projected recovery timetable have been released.

He did return to the practice field for a three-week window in November, a brief stretch that offered hope of a late-season cameo. The Lions shut him down for good soon after, and the season ended with Paschal on the NFI list, his back still an unresolved issue. Club officials have indicated the problem is unrelated to the malignant melanoma he overcame in 2018.

The NFI designation itself has become a point of intrigue. By rule, any ailment suffered while performing football activities—training at the facility, workouts supervised by team staff, or prescribed rehabilitation—falls under the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) umbrella. NFI is reserved for injuries sustained away from the club’s oversight, typically personal pursuits deemed outside the scope of contractual obligations. Teams are not required to pay base salary to players on NFI, a clause that can create friction if a player believes he was acting in good faith.

Whether Paschal received his 2025 base pay has not been disclosed. If the Lions exercised their right to withhold salary, the relationship could hinge on how each side interprets “reckless” or “unapproved” activity. League sources note that clubs rarely invoke NFI for players working out independently unless the training method or venue is explicitly prohibited in the player’s contract. At present, the organization has offered no public rationale for the NFI tag.

Entering 2026, Paschal will be 26 years old—still in the athletic prime for an edge defender. Yet the combination of a second straight season lost to health concerns and the contractual leverage created by the NFI designation leaves his future in Detroit uncertain. The Lions must decide whether to retain a young talent who has flashed promise when available, or to move on from a player whose absence has become as notable as his production.

Detroit’s front office has not commented on any forthcoming roster moves, but the coming weeks will reveal whether Paschal’s Detroit story is one of resilience—or an abrupt, unresolved ending.