Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz guardedly spoke Wednesday about the ways in which Ronnie Brown would help his running back-depleted team and how the veteran would be able to quickly get up to speed.
Then, Schwartz stopped himself -- perhaps too late.
"If I talk too much, somebody is going to find something wrong with an X-ray," he said.
It appears that's exactly what happened.
The Lions announced that their trade with the Philadelphia Eagles -- Brown for running back Jerome Harrison -- has been voided. The Lions wouldn't give a reason for it, but a source told NFL.com reporter Jeff Darlington that Harrison's health was the issue.
The Eaglesannounced Tuesday that they had dealt Brown to the Lions for Harrison and an undisclosed pick in the 2013 draft. But the Lions wouldn't confirm the move because they wait until deals officially are done.
The Lions were looking forward to adding Brown to a backfield that might be without starting running back Jahvid Best for a while. Best suffered the third concussion of his football career Sunday during a 25-19 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Best walked across the Lions' locker room Wednesday, trying to avoid eye contact and conversation. He did slow down slightly, but he wouldn't or couldn't answer if he'll play this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
"I have no idea," Best said after missing practice because of the concussion.
With Best out, the Lions (5-1) sounded as if they were ready to plug Brown into their lineup against the Falcons (3-3). Now Detroit is left with a rotation of Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams, although Schwartz said he likes "a lot" about both running backs.
The Lions' backfield depth took a hit during the preseason when rookie running back Mikel Leshoure suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. The team signed running back James Davis to the practice team, and he might have a chance to be activated and give Detroit a third running back for Sunday's game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
