While the Detroit Lions offense has gotten off to a hot start this season, their defense certainly hasn't. The Lions defensive struggles didn't help them in their Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and to make matters worse, they lost their starting strong safety Tracy Walker III to injury early in the contest. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Walker will be returning to the field anytime soon.

Lions SS Tracy Walker III injury update

Walker had been having a strong start to the season for Detroit, but ended up lasting just eight plays in the Lions Week 3 contest against the Vikings before forced out of the game. When a player doesn't return after an early injury, it usually isn't a good sign, and that's the case with Walker here. Reports have come out saying Walker is believed to have torn his achilles, which will keep him out for the rest of the 2022 season.

This is a very big blow for a Lions defense that has already been struggling this season. Walker had been a steadying presence at the back of their secondary early on, and looked set to follow up his strong 2021 season. Instead, he will now be forced to wait to return to the field until the 2023 season for Detroit.

JuJu Hughes ended up filling in for Walker, and will likely take over for him throughout the rest of the season. Kerby Joseph, who was a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, also could see an increase in his snaps given Walker's injury. But it's clear that the Lions secondary is worse off without Walker at the back, and his loss for the season will be a tough one for Detroit to overcome.