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Lions safety CJ Gardner-Johnson wants to return to the middle of the Detroit secondary before the end of the regular season, and head coach Dan Campbell is starting to believe he might be ready to do just that.

“He has a chance. Lazarus has a chance,” Campbell said Monday.

Gardner-Johnson had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle he injured in the Lions’ Week 2 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Last week, he told a few other defensive players he was getting closer to getting back on the field. Rookie safety Brian Branch said last week he expects to see Gardner-Johnson on the field this month.

Campbell said Gardner-Johnson is making big gains in a short amount to the extent that a Week 17 or Week 18 return to practice could be a realistic conversation.

“CJ, man, he’s kicked it into overdrive and he’s healed quick and is healing quick,” Campbell said. “And most of it’s going to be about just is his body ready for that? Will he be ready to do it without re-injuring and is it stable, strong enough? I know this, he’s taken off, but we’ll see.”

When the Lions lost Gardner-Johnson, Campbell called him the “heartbeat” of the Lions’ defense.

Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, $8 million deal to join the Lions in free agency. He played for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles last season and was previously with Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn when Gardner-Johnson began his career with the New Orleans Saints.

The Lions are also anticipating defensive lineman James Houston getting back to the practice field later in the month. He is on injured reserve with a fractured ankle.

–Field Level Media