Amon-Ra St. Brown injury update: Lions wide receiver clears concussion protocol ahead of Dolphins game

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has been cleared to play in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. St. Brown was in the NFL concussion protocol but did not sustain a concussion during the Lions’ Week 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He was removed from the game under the league’s modified concussion protocol after displaying ataxia, a potential concussion symptom where the individual display poor muscle control or clumsiness. The Lions listed their 2021 fourth-round pick as questionable on the injury report.

“They look at the video, and so when the video, plus what they saw there, it’s automatically you’re out now,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of St. Brown’s injury. The NFL and NFL Players Association adjusted the concussion protocol ahead of Week 5 when Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a back injury in Week 3 with a stumble on the field that the new ataxia definition would have ruled him out of the game, but he was able to return to the game. In Week 4, Tagovailoa sustained a concussion, leading to the change in the protocol.

Under the new rules, any player who stumbles or shows any loss of motor control is to be immediately ruled out of the game and placed in the concussion protocol. The Dolphins were the first team to have a player removed from a game under the new system when quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, starting in place of Tagovailoa in Week 5, was hit on the first offensive snap for the Dolphins and a spotter reported that he stubled after the hit. Video never showed any stumble or loss of balance, but Bridgewater was removed from the game and had to clear the entire concussion protocol before being cleared for the team’s Week 6 contest.

St. Brown being cleared allows him to return to the field on Sunday, coincidentally in a game against the Dolphins. In five games played this season, the receiver has 28 receptions for 275 yards with three touchdowns. He caught 90 passes for 912 yards with five touchdowns as a rookie last year.

The Dolphins and Lions kickoff at 1 p.m. ET Sunday from Detroit’s Ford Field.

For more on St. Brown and on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit.