ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Travis Swanson walked through the Detroit Lions' locker room on Monday afternoon with a somewhat large brace on his right leg. Yet a day after having to leave the Lions' 24-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday with a right knee injury, he appeared to have a good prognosis.

While Swanson wouldn't talk about it, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said he thinks Swanson might be able to avoid having offseason surgery to repair his injury.

"Obviously, he had a knee injury but at this point in time they have not made the determination, at least they haven't told me, that it's going to be operable, where he has to have an operation," Caldwell said. "So it seems like he's going to be able to get through with strengthening and things of that nature.

"He should be OK."

Swanson was injured in the first half of Sunday's loss and was replaced by Garrett Reynolds at right guard. His injury -- and the severity of it -- was more important for his future, though. The Lions drafted Swanson to eventually replace either Dominic Raiola at center or Rob Sims at left guard and both Raiola and Sims are free agents.

But if Swanson's injury was significant, it could have altered the way Detroit approached the contract situations of both Sims and Raiola -- neither of whom had any idea if they would return to the Lions in 2015.

Provided Swanson is able to heal quickly from his injury, this will allow him to have a full offseason of work both during the official Lions' spring workouts and what he plans to do on his own. That, he said is very important.

But the progress of his knee injury is something to watch over the next few months because it could determine the futures of multiple players on this year's Lions team.