Lions LT Jeff Backus (pectoral) returned to practice Sunday. It's Backus' first practice since training camp opened, but his participation level isn't yet clear. Regardless, it's a positive sign for Matthew Stafford after going through camp with both starting tackles sidelined.

The Lions have paid LT Jeff Backus (pectoral) a $100,000 workout bonus. Backus has a partially torn left pectoral muscle and is due $5.45 million, so this was a notable payment. He won't be released or waived/failed physical; Backus has just begun camp on the active/PUP list. Backus is likely to miss a large chunk of practices while the Lions hope time and rehab heal the wound.

Coach Jim Schwartz confirmed that LT Jeff Backus (pectoral) won't be ready for the start of training camp. Backus has a partially torn muscle in his left pectoral. Schwartz still thinks his starting left tackle will be ready for Week 1, but it's certainly not a lock. It's bad news for Matthew Stafford, who can't afford to have his blind side vulnerable.

MLive.com's Tom Kowalski hears that Lions LT Jeff Backus' pectoral injury "is not serious at all." "We'll see," Kowalski allows. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press heard from a Lions source Wednesday that the injury is "not serious," but at the same time reported it was "believed to be a partially torn muscle." Any muscle tear would be worrisome for a 34-year-old football player a week away from camp.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Lions LT Jeff Backus has a pectoral injury that may cost him at least the early portion of training camp. The injury is to Backus' left pectoral and is "believed to be a partially torn muscle," according to the newspaper. A team source described the tear as "not serious," but we know better than to trust the Lions when it comes to injury situations. Detroit has not taken its offensive line seriously in recent drafts, but this is a clear sign that it's time to change that trend for the sake of Matthew Stafford. RT Gosder Cherilus is coming off a microfracture operation on his knee.